Will Seoul indulge maestro?
Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra artistic director Chung Myung-whun
Audit accuses Chung Myung-whun of misconduct
By Jung Min-ho
Should we overlook misconduct by our beloved maestro, Chung Myung-whun, artistic director of the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra (SPO)?
Chung is one of the few musicians of world renown, so indulging him in a way could be justifiable, if he makes amends.
But it could be tricky, considering the revelations that have surfaced following the resignation of SPO CEO Park Hyun-jung, who accused Chung of sabotaging her plan to revitalize the orchestra.
Of course, Park’s accusation could lose some credence, considering that she was caught foul-mouthing her subordinates, a significant number of whom quit. Park quit just before City Hall, her employer, was expected to sack her.
In a recent news conference, the 62-year-old conductor demanded a concert hall for the orchestra, citing this as a prerequisite for his renewing his contract.
The city’s audit, disclosed Friday, found that Chung allowed his family members to use airplane tickets, which were supposed to be for his manager, from 2006 to 2011.
The city government has asked Chung to return 13 million won ($12,000) to the SPO to cover the cost.
Chung also violated SPO regulations by repeatedly holding personal piano recitals against the directive of its head.
Unlike Chung’s claims, moreover, the auditors said SPO musicians’ “voluntary” participation in Asia Philharmonic Orchestra (APO) performances was not actually voluntary, given his authority.
He is the artistic director of the APO as well.
His son’s piano teacher landed a job at the SPO in December of 2005 after Chung granted favors to that person, and worked there until 2012, the auditors said. And a former employee at the company of Chung’s elder brother also received special treatment in getting a job at the SPO.
The investigation began after former SPO President and CEO Park Hyun-jung accused Chung of “privatizing” the orchestra by abusing his power.
When she quit last year amid allegations of sexual harassment and verbal abuse of staffers, Park said, “Although I’m to blame for a large part of the allegations, I could not bear the abnormal operations of the SPO, which is run on taxpayers’ money.”
The audit showed some of her claims to be true.
Details of the investigation will be posted on the SMG website at the end of this month.
“We asked the SMG to decide whether to renew the contract with him after coming up with measures to prevent further misconduct,” Song Byung-choon, auditor of the city government, said.
Despite the revelation, however, the SMG will have little power in making the decision because of Chung’s “irreplaceable” name value.
“He is a world-class maestro and we don’t have anyone that can replace him,” an SMG official said. “Nonetheless, we hope to correct unethical activities at the state-run orchestra through this opportunity.”
It’s been 10 years since the SPO was established after recruiting Chung as its director.
According to the orchestra, its number of concerts has more than doubled and attendance has increased more than five-fold since its inauguration.