Culture ministry appoints Kang Jung-won as first tourism policy office chief

Kang Jung-won / Yonhap

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism appointed Kang Jung-won, a former deputy minister-level official who oversaw culture and arts policy, as the inaugural head of its newly created Tourism Policy Office.

The move marked the first deputy minister-level appointment since the ministry upgraded its Tourism Policy Bureau into an office-level unit, part of a restructuring intended to strengthen policy coordination and execution across the tourism sector.

As the first chief of the Tourism Policy Office, Kang will lead key government priorities, including boosting inbound tourism and revitalizing regional destinations, the ministry said.

Born in 1969, Kang graduated from the University of Seoul with a degree in public administration and entered government service in 1996. Within the ministry, he gained a reputation as a hands-on policy official, holding posts in both tourism and arts policy. He served in a range of senior roles, including sports bureau chief, spokesperson, deputy minister for culture and arts policy and most recently as director of the National Hangeul Museum, building experience across tourism, culture and sports.

The ministry described Kang as a seasoned policymaker with strong political and administrative instincts, adding that his cross-sector background will support efforts to raise the competitiveness of Korea’s tourism industry and develop higher value-added tourism content.

A ministry official said the appointment aims to strengthen the new office’s capacity to deliver policy following the reorganization, adding that the ministry expected to accelerate its push to position Korea as a major tourism destination under Kang’s leadership.