President Lee Jae-myung made a surprise appearance on Arirang TV's talk show 'K-Pop: The Next Chapter,' discussing the future of K-pop. As the Netflix animated film 'KPop Demon Hunters' (hereafter referred to as 'Kedehon') creates a sensation centered around traditional Korean culture and K-pop, the president attended as one of the main panelists of the program to hear the voices from the K-pop industry.
Alongside the president, director Maggie Kang, singer Jeongyeon and Jihyo from 'TWICE,' music producer R.Tee, and critic Kim Young-dae shared their thoughts. In particular, director Maggie Kang marked her first visit to Korea after the 'Kedehon' craze, adding luster to the event.
Regarding the motivation behind choosing 'K-pop' as the subject of her feature directorial debut, director Maggie Kang noted, "Having worked in the American Hollywood animation field for 20 years, I wanted to create animation about Korean culture from the beginning," adding, "The goal was to show Korean culture 'as it is,' and I believe that resonated with people around the world."
Meanwhile, in-depth discussions continued on what challenges the continuously growing K-pop industry faces. Critic Kim Young-dae evaluated that, "For a long time, a handful of people have worked hard to promote idols like 'TWICE,' and the industry has now established some external foundations." He also suggested, "We need to think about who will own the IP (intellectual property), how to create our own platform, and how to nurture musicians."
In response, President Lee said, "Successful global artists and works are the result of countless challenges and failures," adding, "But there are many cases where opportunities are not even available, so the role of the government should be to create a solid foundation."
President Lee Jae-myung attended 'K-Pop: The Next Chapter' to hear the voices from the K-pop industry and discuss measures to promote Korea as a global cultural powerhouse. The show can also be viewed on the Arirang TV YouTube channel.
[Photo] Provided by Arirang TV
[OSEN]