Policies

Aug 21, 2025

▲ 이재명 대통령(가운데)이 20일 아리랑 국제방송 프로그램 '케이팝 더 넥스트 챕터(K-Pop:The Next Chapter)'에 출연하고 있다.

President Lee Jae Myung (center) on Aug. 20 smiles on the show "K-Pop: The Next Chapter" on Ariang TV in Seoul.


By Kim Seon Ah

Photos = Office of the President 

President Lee Jae Myung has pledged his strong commitment to the future of the nation's cultural industry and the government's role in it.

Appearing on the show "K-Pop: The Next Chapter" on Arirang TV, he said on Aug. 20, "Our all-out opportunity to properly display the power of Korean culture has just begun," adding, "The Republic of Korea has entered the path of becoming a global cultural power."

Joining the president on the show were Maggie Kang, creator and co-director of the hit Netflix animated musical "KPop Demon Hunters"; members Jeongyeon and Jihyo of the K-pop girl group TWICE; music producer and DJ R.Tee; and music critic Kim Young-dae to discuss growth strategies for the cultural industry.

"I agree with the criticism that the country's cultural industry looks glamorous on the surface but is empty and rotten at its core," President Lee said. "The government will do its part to firm the roots."

"The pure arts sector is the government's responsibility, not the market's," he added, implying intent to lay the basis to develop the field as a core industry.

"Particularly when it comes to culture, political power has an instinct to control and use," he added. "The principle of 'support but don't interfere' set by former President Kim Dae-jung hasn't been properly upheld."

Referring to the blacklist discovered in 2017 of artists critical of the Park Geun-hye administration, he said, "The government's role is to create a free environment rather than monitor and regulate."

"The culture and arts sector must be made equal so that anyone can enter it, but this point has largely been ignored," he added. "How truly wonderful and almost miraculous to have such great works and artists emerge."

"We need large-scale investment in and support for our cultural soil so that more people can pursue it," he said, "Please look forward to it. I expect two, three or four more versions of TWICE and Maggie Kang to come out."


On his most memorable scene from "KPop Demon Hunters," President Lee said, "The scene with seolleongtang (beef soup) and kkakdugi (cubed radish kimchi) was the best. I even questioned how they could be used as props given their limits."


The characters that impressed him the most were the tiger Derpy and the jeoseungsaja, the Korean equivalent of the Grim Reaper. "I was impressed to see how the scary tiger was depicted as a cute and humorous creature," he said. "It's important to show everything that's ours."

President Lee named food as the domestic sector with the best growth potential like that of K-pop.


When the show's host asked him to recommend a Korean food from those mentioned in the movie, the president said, "When it comes to Korean food, it's bibimbap (mixed rice with vegetables and meat), the healthiest in the world.


President Lee Jae Myung (fourth from left) on Aug. 20 poses for photos with guests of the show

President Lee Jae Myung (fourth from left) on Aug. 20 poses for photos with guests of the show "K-Pop: The Next Chapter" aired on Arirang TV. From left are members Jeongyeon and Jihyo of the K-pop girl group TWICE; "KPop Demon Hunters" creator and co-director Maggie Kang; President Lee, music producer and DJ R.Tee; music critic Kim Young-dae; and show host Jang Sung-kyu.


sofiakim218@korea.kr