Seoul Arts Center chief lists 18th-century cello, Steinway grand in assets report
Seoul Arts Center President Chang Han-na / Korea Times file
Chang Han-na tops culture agency heads with $5.62 million in assets, reports $985,000 cello and Nvidia shares
Cellist and conductor Chang Han-na, president of the Seoul Arts Center, reported assets totaling 7.82 billion won (about $5.62 million), including a cello valued at more than 1.37 billion won, a Steinway piano worth 133.75 million won and holdings in major U.S. technology stocks such as Nvidia, Apple and Meta.
According to the Government Public Ethics Committee's disclosure of public officials' assets released Thursday, Chang reported total assets of 7.817 billion won, the largest amount among the six heads of organizations under the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism subject to the latest disclosure.
Her reported assets include 1.93 billion won in real estate, 2.78 billion won in bank deposits, 1.74 billion won in securities and 1.5 billion won in antiques and artworks.
Chang reported ownership of an apartment in Yeoksam-dong, Seoul, valued at 1.28 billion won, and a stake in a detached house in Pomona, New York, valued at 653.49 million won. She also reported more than 2.7 billion won in deposits at domestic and overseas financial institutions.
Her securities portfolio consists entirely of overseas-listed stocks held in her name, including 2,450 shares of Nvidia, as well as shares in Apple, Meta Platforms, Alphabet, Microsoft and Tesla.
Among her music instrument assets, Chang reported a cello and bow valued at 1.37 billion won and a Steinway piano worth 133.75 million won.
The cello is widely reported to be a 1757 Giovanni Battista Guadagnini, one of the world's most prized Italian instruments, which Chang acquired after winning the Rostropovich International Cello Competition at age 11.
Among the other agency heads included in the disclosure, Korea Craft & Design Foundation President Kim Kyung-bae reported 2.24 billion won in assets, King Sejong Institute Foundation President Jeon Woo-yong reported 1.94 billion won, Korea National Symphony Orchestra CEO Yoo Mi-jung reported 1.46 billion won and Publication Industry Promotion Agency of Korea President Kim Seung-soo reported 612.62 million won.
This article from the Hankook Ilbo, the sister publication of The Korea Times, is translated by a generative AI system and edited by The Korea Times.