Kim Sa-in named LTI Korea president

By Kwon Mee-yoo

Kim Sa-in, a poet and creative writing professor at Dongduk Women's University, was appointed as the new president of the Literature Translation Institute of Korea (LTI Korea), Monday.

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism announced the 62-year-old poet will lead the government-affiliated organization which promotes Korean literature overseas for the next three years.

Kim majored in Korean literature at Seoul National University and worked for the Writers Association of Korea. He has taught creative writing at Dongduk Women's University since 2003.

He started his literary career in 1981, publishing a handful of poetry collections including "Letter" (1999) and "Liking" (2006) as well as review books.

Kim also has a variety of experience abroad, making him capable of connecting literary circles here and abroad.

He completed the International Writing Program at the University of Iowa and spent a year at the Korea Institute of Harvard University as an exchange professor in 2011. He also worked as an adjunct professor at the Minzu University of China.

Previous LTI Korea presidents were specialists in translation or critics. Kim is the first Korean literature major to take the post.

"The heightened stature of Korean literature on the international stage is thanks to LTI Korea's expertise in translation for the past two decades. I think there is a reason for the ministry to pick someone who studied Korean literature and writes his own poems to lead LTI Korea now. It will add depth to LTI Korea's projects, based on thorough understanding of Korean literature," Kim said.