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Crown-Haitai chairman becomes new head of Korea Mecenat Association
Crown-Haitai CEO Yoon Young-dal poses after being appointed as the new chairman of Korea Mecenat Association, at the Westin Josun Seoul, Tuesday. Courtesy of Crown-Haitai
By Ko Dong-hwan
Crown-Haitai CEO Yoon Young-dal has become the new head of the Korea Mecenat Association, the country's group of companies which are dedicated to supporting cultural and artistic endeavors, according to the country's major confectionery group, Wednesday.
Celebrating the 30th anniversary of its foundation this year, the association held a general assembly in Seoul on Tuesday and commenced the appointment for its 12th chairman title with a three-year term. Yoon has been the association's vice-chairman since 2012.
Yoon's latest promotion came due to his consistent promotion of the country's "gugak" (traditional Korean music), sculptures and poetry over the past 20 years, according to the company. Together with his employees, he took to learning the arts and shared them with his consumers by organizing or hosting annual shows.
In 2007, he founded a gugak troupe, Rageum Orchestra, for the first time in the country's private business circle and has been running it ever since. There are other annual gugak festivals he has been supporting for more than a decade now, including Changsinje, the biggest fusion gugak concert in the country, since 2004.
He has also been vocal about his passion for sculpture, prompting him to take an organizing seat at the Seoul Open Art Fair and the city's international sculpture festivals. thereby allowing him to promote the arts to the public. He runs a large-scale sculpture studio in Yangju, Gyeonggi Province, where a residency program welcomes aspiring artists. Since 2020, he has been hosting an outdoor international exhibition at Han River in Seoul to promote Korean sculptors to the world.
"There is no company without customers," Yoon said following his appointment. "And to satisfy customers, cultural and artistic support is essential, not optional. By developing further the cultural art, customers can be happier and drive companies to develop further as well."
Initially founded by the country's five local business associations, the Korea Mecenat Association now has over 220 member companies including major conglomerates and business groups like Samsung, Doosan and the Federation of Korean Industries.