Chung Myung-whun steps down from Seoul Phil

By Kwon Ji-youn

Chung Myung-whun, music director of the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra (SPO), offered to resign Tuesday, a day after the SPO board and the Seoul Metropolitan Government (SMG) delayed the renewal of his contract.

“It is with great sadness that I write this letter of departure from the SPO at the end of my tenth year as your music director,” Chung said in a letter sent to both SPO musicians and administrative staff.

“I regret that I cannot continue as your music director, but as I have said before, there is one thing more important than music, and that is humanity. Until this issue is resolved, it is impossible for me to continue my musical work with you.”

According to an SPO official, Chung sat down with CEO Choe Heung-sik around noon Tuesday to inform him of his intent to step down as music director. Chung will conduct tonight’s SPO concert as scheduled, but the SPO said they are currently looking for a replacement for performances lined up in 2016.

Chung, in his letter, said the SPO’s achievements have been overshadowed by fabricated statements, and that “lies and corruption may cause scandals but human dignity and truth will prevail in the end.”

Infighting has rocked the SPO since December 2014, when 17 administrative employees of the SPO issued a press release that requested former CEO Park Hyun-jung be removed from office. They claimed she had verbally and sexually harassed them. Park bowed out later that month but was cleared of all allegations in August.

Park has long claimed that Chung was behind the petition for her removal, but Chung, in his letter, defended the 17 employees, ten of whom were booked on charges of false accusations last month.

“The SPO office has been raided and all these people have been interrogated for hundreds of hours,” Chung wrote. “My assistant who you all have known for many years was submitted to 70 hours of questioning only weeks after giving birth to her first child and being hospitalized. This would never happen in any other country that I have lived in. I don’t doubt that the truth will be revealed in the end.”

Chung’s resignation comes amid a police investigation into allegations that his wife, surnamed Koo, led a smear campaign against former CEO Park. Police said they booked her without detention on charges that she allegedly instructed SPO employees to smear Park’s reputation. Investigations into suspicions that Chung embezzled more than 50 million won over the past decade are also ongoing.

Chung, in an interview in August, said he will step down as music director when his contract expires on Dec. 31.

He also said earlier this year that he will only renew his contract with the SMG if it promises to build a music hall for the SPO, as well as provide its wholehearted support. Seoul City Council included construction costs for the hall in its budget for 2016, suggesting the SMG is willing to hold on to the maestro.