Park Jin-young Details FANOMENON Ownership Structure as Trademark Scrutiny Continues

Park Jin-young has revealed new details about how FANOMENON will be owned and operated, as questions over the planned K-culture festival’s trademark arrangements reached South Korea’s National Assembly.

Appearing as a witness during the National Assembly’s Culture, Sports and Tourism Committee audit on October 7, Park said HYBE, SM Entertainment, JYP Entertainment and YG Entertainment have established a separate company to oversee the privately led project.

According to Park, all four agencies contributed the same amount of capital and hold equal voting rights in the company.

The disclosure provides a clearer picture of FANOMENON’s governance after scrutiny emerged over JYP Entertainment’s earlier move to apply for overseas trademark rights to the festival’s name.

Park acknowledged during the audit that aspects of the original trademark process were not normal. He explained that the filing was made quickly amid concerns that another party could secure the name first, but said the rights would not ultimately remain with JYP Entertainment.

The issue had already drawn political scrutiny before Park’s testimony. Questions centered on why JYP initially held overseas trademark rights connected to a project involving government support and multiple major entertainment companies, as well as how and when those rights would eventually be transferred.

Park also pushed back against allegations that FANOMENON gives preferential treatment to the four participating agencies. He argued that the companies could earn significantly more by staging their own artists’ concerts separately, and said their participation was based on the project’s potential long-term benefits for the wider Korean entertainment industry.

FANOMENON is being developed as a large-scale K-pop and K-culture event combining concerts, a fandom-focused awards component and exhibitions and experiences tied to Korean cultural industries.

The event is currently planned for December 2027.