Controversy Grows Over Appointments of Cultural and Arts Public Institution Heads, Following Seo Seung-man and Hwang Kyo-ik

Controversy is spreading over the recent string of appointments to public cultural and arts institutions. After comedian-turned-CEO Seo Seung-man, 62, was named CEO of the National Jeongdong Theater of Korea on the 10th, Hwang Kyo-ik, 64, a food columnist, was appointed on the 17th as the new president of the Korea Culture & Tourism Institute, a research body under the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism (MCST).
On the 19th, more than 400 researchers in cultural policy and arts management, including former researchers at the Korea Culture & Tourism Institute, issued a statement and made clear their opposition to the appointment of the new president. In the statement, they said, "This appointment is a disruptive decision that directly denies the professionalism of cultural policy and the value of democratic communication," adding, "The practice of pushing through politically motivated rewards and crony appointments while ignoring expertise is undermining the very basis for the existence of state-funded research institutes and public cultural organizations."
Culture Solidarity, a progressive civic group, also launched a full-scale criticism of the appointment. After releasing a statement on the 13th titled, "A government that promised KRW 30 trillion for K-culture, the numbers were grand, but the appointments to public cultural and arts institutions were laughable," the group announced on the 18th that it would hold a press conference condemning the Lee Jae-myung administration's cultural and arts personnel policy.
In a press release distributed in advance, Culture Solidarity called for an immediate end to opaque and unilateral appointment practices, a direct apology from President Lee for personnel policies in the cultural and arts sector and a clarification of responsibility by the Ministry of Personnel Management for the controversial appointments, as well as a clear reestablishment of standards and principles for appointments in the cultural and arts field. Its emergency press conference will be held at 11 a.m. on the 21st at the plaza in front of the Blue House fountain.
jsm64@fnnews.com Jung Soon-min Reporter