Fanomenon K-pop festival: trademark and favoritism questions at the parliamentary audit

Background: what Fanomenon is

Fanomenon, a blend of "fan" and "phenomenon," is an event planned by the Presidential Committee on Popular Culture Exchange that combines K-pop concerts, a fandom awards show and K-culture exhibitions. The committee is co-chaired by Park Jin-young, chief producer of JYP Entertainment, and Culture Minister Choi Hwi-young. The first edition runs Dec. 2–12, 2027, at Seoul Arena and KINTEX, and the Korea Culture & Tourism Institute projects 520,000 visitors and an economic effect of about 1 trillion won.

The committee plans the event while private companies run it. HYBE, SM, JYP and YG agreed to form a joint venture in which each puts in the same capital and holds the same voting rights. At the audit Park said the industry had come to share a sense that K-pop faces limits in growing further in global markets, and that the agencies joined after the government proposed working together.

Issue 1: why JYP filed the trademark first

The government's explanation is about timing and staffing. In an Oct. 1 social media post, Minister Choi said the event name became public right after the committee launched, when it had neither an office nor dedicated staff, so JYP secured the rights first as a temporary step. On why JYP handled the overseas filings, he said country-by-country filing costs had not been budgeted in advance.

Rep. Bae said the contract states that the overseas rights to a state-linked project all belong to JYP. She said she asked the committee for a contract covering the dedicated entity and was told none exists and none is planned. At the audit Minister Choi acknowledged that, as things stand, nothing can be done if JYP refuses. Park said he had worried that someone else might claim the trademark first, adding, "I do think it was not a normal method."

Reports differ slightly on the countries: Minister Choi named the U.S. (November 2025) and Japan (March 2026), while The Korea Times and Rep. Bae also mention Mexico.

Issue 2: is the big four's role preferential treatment?

Rep. Bae argued that state projects normally pick participating companies through a public notice, but that the four agencies entered this one on their own from the start, using inside information. Park countered that the agencies' top acts could earn two to three times more by performing separately at the same time, so taking part is a sacrifice rather than a privilege. Minister Choi also said the agencies did not join to secure vested interests.

A Weekly Kyunghyang fact check concluded that the two were talking about different things: Bae about how the opportunity to take part was given, Park about whether taking part actually makes money, and both points can hold at once. The documents needed to judge the question, including the dedicated entity's articles of incorporation, the shareholder agreement, the mechanism for reinvesting profits and the lineup selection criteria, had not been made public in the coverage reviewed here.

What is not yet confirmed

Rep. Bae says Minister Choi promised a revised contract by the Oct. 23 comprehensive audit, but no revised terms had been made public in the coverage reviewed (through Oct. 17). Reports also differ on the dedicated entity: on Oct. 1 Minister Choi said it was going through the incorporation process, while Dealsite reported that on Oct. 7 Park said the four companies had jointly established it. No announcement that the remaining 50 percent of the domestic trademark or the overseas trademarks have actually been transferred was found.