“Will always be the standard”: Fans ecstatic as South Korean president Lee Jae-myung expresses desire for more groups like TWICE

South Korean President Lee Jae-myung recently praised the well-known girl group TWICE. The president, along with TWICE members Jihyo and Jeongyeon, appeared on Arirang TV’s special program K-Pop: The Next Chapter, which aired on August 20, 2025. During a discussion about the future of K-pop, President Lee shared his admiration, stating:

“We want to see more groups like TWICE.”

This statement was significant, coming straight from the nation’s president. His specific mention of the group highlighted the group's influence on the K-pop industry. One fan summed up the situation perfectly with their words,

Fans of the group are brimming with pride and celebrating this acknowledgment of their favorite group’s influence.

TWICE is appreciated by a South Korean president once again for their impact

On the recently aired show K-Pop: The Next Chapter, South Korean President Lee Jae-myung appeared alongside two TWICE members and Netflix’s KPop Demon Hunters (KDH) director Maggie Kang. They were also joined by two additional guests: producer R.Tee and music critic Kim Young-dae.

The special episode, broadcast on August 20, 2025, explored the evolving future of K-pop and its cultural impact. President Lee acknowledged the success of the Korean cultural industry while addressing its underlying vulnerabilities.

“The government will provide a solid foundation to help Korea grow into a proud cultural powerhouse. Nurturing and supporting pure arts is the role of the government, not the market. Just as tall trees grow from well-kept grass, we must ensure the soil is healthy,” he said.

Referring to KPop Demon Hunters, which features contributions from TWICE’s Jihyo and Jeongyeon, President Lee praised its success as “close to a miracle” and hinted at increased investment in similar projects. He expressed his hope that the forces sitting beside him will someday join hands to create something special for the world of K-pop or K-entertainment.

“We need to see TWICE, Maggie Kang 2, 3, and 4 emerge in the future,” President Lee said.

The group's members, Jihyo, Jeonyeon, and Chaeyoung, have vocally contributed to the female songs in the popular animated series. The two members present even performed an a cappella version of 'Takedown' during the program. They were appreciated by everyone for their raw vocals and talent.

This is not the first time the nine-member group has received presidential recognition. Back in 2019, then-president Moon Jae-in praised the group for bringing the third Hallyu wave in Japan.

Recently, it has been reported that the group will release a documentary featuring their Lollapalooza Chicago appearance on August 2. It is said that it will be released after member Chaeyoung's solo album LIL FANTASY Vol.1, which is set to be released on September 12. Fans are excited to see what more their favorite girl group has in store for them.

About the author

Rujula is a pop culture journalist who covers K-pop at Sportskeeda. She graduated with a bachelors in English Literature from Mumbai University, following which, as a self-proclaimed K-pop fangirl, Rujula pursued her passion for the written word to report on all things Korean. Rujula has over 4 years experience in curating content for diverse companies like Disney (Star Sports), KpopWise, Icy Tales, Nettv4u, and Walking Wicket.

For her, referring to official sources and cross-verifying information are of utmost importance to maintain objectivity and credibility of the information she offers to her readers. She also takes into account social media posts from people experiencing an incident first-hand to add depth and perspective to her story.

While creatively presenting information about an artist’s particular look or campaign is Rujula’s forte, she believes her true strength lies in interviewing celebrities and idols. At Sportskeeda, Rujula has exclusively interviewed famous K-pop groups and idols such as ChoCo, Jae Chong, BLACKSWAN, DKZ, Lee Taevin, E:LFIN, Kim Seong-gyeong, and Hyun-woo.

Rujula’s favorite artists in the K-circle are BTS, Jackson Wang, ENHYPEN, and SEVENTEEN, and she admires them for their humility, genuineness, and generosity. When not busy tracking the latest developments in Korean entertainment, Rujula can be found playing cricket, a sport she has played professionally for over 10 years.

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Edited by Shreya Das