Actress Park Jeong-ja Appointed as New Chairperson of Gwanak Cultural Foundation

[Photo by Gwanak Cultural Foundation]

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Byung-hee] Park Jeong-ja (78, photo), an actress representing the South Korean theater scene, has been appointed as the new chairman of the Gwanak Cultural Foundation.

On the 19th, the Gwanak Cultural Foundation announced that Park Jeong-ja, a member of the National Academy of Arts of Korea, has been appointed as the new chairman. The selection process for the new chairman began with a public recruitment in February, followed by a board recommendation committee, and the term of office is three years from the date of appointment.

Chairman Park Jeong-ja graduated from Ewha Womans University with a degree in Journalism and Broadcasting. She has served as a director of the Seoul Arts Center and chairman of the Theater Welfare Foundation. She has received numerous awards including the Best Leading Actress Award at the Seoul Theater Festival (1991), the 6th Lee Hae-rang Theater Award (1996), and the 4th Beautiful Artist Award (2014). Notably, she was recognized for her contribution to the enactment of the 'Artist Welfare Act' this year and received the 61st March 1st Culture Award (2020). She also narrated the trailer for the globally acclaimed film "Parasite" at the request of director Bong Joon-ho.

As an actress, she received critical acclaim in February for the crossover play "Sing Like You Speak," which encapsulated her 60 years of acting experience. The proceeds from the performance "In Dreams, We Were Kind," based on the memoir "Hanjungnok" left by Lady Hyegyeonggung Hong, were fully donated to the development fund of her alma mater, Ewha Womans University, demonstrating her active engagement in talent donation activities.

Chairman Park Jeong-ja stated, "Just as an actor reveals their presence and shines on stage, art has the power to comfort someone," adding, "I will fulfill my role so that the art of all 500,000 Gwanak residents resonates with the community and, furthermore, receives applause from the entire nation, allowing a brilliant culture to blossom."

Park Jun-hee, mayor of Gwanak District, expressed his intentions and expectations, saying, "By appointing a new chairman who not only has deep achievements and knowledge in the field of culture and arts to create Gwanak, a city where history and culture breathe, but also possesses expertise in overall administration, we have strengthened the foundation's professionalism and autonomy."

The new directors appointed are Professor Park Ki-wan of Seoul National University, a founding member of SKK GSB jointly launched by Sungkyunkwan University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), who has conducted research and education in organizational management and marketing for 15 years, and Park Jeom-hee, CEO of Exciting Media Education and chairman of the Korea Future Education Cooperative, who has been actively engaged in various educational, research, and writing activities to realize the value of lifelong education. Their terms are two years.

The Gwanak Cultural Foundation was launched last year as a pledge project of the 7th local government. This year, it plans to develop Goryeo cultural content based on online platforms such as YouTube to establish the Gang Gam-chan Festival as Seoul's representative historical and cultural festival. It will also actively support local residents in overcoming the crisis caused by the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic through culture and arts.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.