Park Ji-won is a writer for The Korea Times who has been covering a wide range of topics from Korea’s culture to its politics. An avid journalism enthusiast to the core, Ji-won brings a thoughtful and unique perspective to every topic she covers. On weekends, you'll often find her contemplating life’s purpose on a yoga mat — with a cup of quality tea in hand. A native Korean speaker by birth and fluent in English through her work, she went to college in Japan and is learning Chinese and French — hoping to add Polish, Russian and Thai to the mix.
Choi Young-chang named chairman of Korea Cultural Heritage Foundation
By Park Ji-won
Choi Young-chang, the newly-appointed chairman of the Korea Cultural Heritage Foundation / Courtesy of Cultural Heritage Administration
By Park Ji-won
The Cultural Heritage Administration has named Choi Young-chang as new chairman of the Korea Cultural Heritage Foundation, according to the organization Monday.
Choi, a former reporter for daily Munhwa Ilbo newspaper (1992-2013), research chief at the Overseas Korean Cultural Heritage Foundation (2013-2015) and director of the Jinju National Museum (2015-2020), will lead the public institution at the Cultural Heritage Administration for three years until May 9, 2024. He majored in history at Korea University and later received a doctoral degree from the same university
The organization was established in 1980 to carry out government-led projects to promote the country's tangible and intangible heritages and allow residents more chances to enjoy traditional culture. It has been hosting cultural events utilizing intangible heritages and conducting research on excavations, as well as international exchanges such as official development assistance (ODA) projects.
The organization hosts the Royal Culture Festival and runs the Korea House.
The 57-year-old pledged that he will focus on expanding digital content as well as international cooperation.
“The Korea Cultural Heritage Foundation undertakes projects for the Cultural Heritage Administration which aims to do its best to allow citizens to enjoy the beauty of our cultural heritage. Even though many organizations are investing in projects for digital content such as AI or VR, there are not enough experts in the field amid the rising demand for online content due to the spread of the coronavirus. So, the foundation plans to increase those experts and staff so that they can more efficiently and practically provide online content,” Choi told The Korea Times, Monday.
“We are also planning to expand ODA projects and their promotion. We have been running ODA projects in various countries such as Myanmar, Laos and Uzbekistan by giving aid and helping them to restore their cultural assets. We will continue to conduct these projects and put more effort into them.”