Seoul Foundation for Arts and Culture Awards Former Minister Yoon In-chon with 'Special Merit Award'

[Asia Economy Reporter Seomideum] The Seoul Foundation for Arts and Culture announced that it has selected former Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Yoo In-chon as the recipient of the ‘Special Contribution Award’ in celebration of its 18th anniversary. The award ceremony was held at 11 a.m. on the 15th at the Quad of the Daehakro Theater (122 Dongsung-gil, Jongno-gu) operated by the Seoul Foundation for Arts and Culture.

Established in March 2004 by the Seoul Metropolitan Government, the Seoul Foundation for Arts and Culture is a foundation that has promoted cultural and artistic programs to improve the quality of life for Seoul citizens and various support projects for artists. This contribution award was prepared to honor those who have devoted themselves to the development of Korea’s cultural and artistic community and contributed to the foundation’s growth in commemoration of its 18th anniversary.

The awardee, former Minister Yoo In-chon, born in 1951, graduated from the Department of Theater and Film at Chung-Ang University and earned a master’s degree in Theater and Film Studies from the same university’s graduate school. He served as the inaugural CEO of the Seoul Foundation for Arts and Culture in 2004. He also served as Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism in 2008 and as Special Cultural Advisor to the Presidential Office in 2011. During his tenure at the Seoul Foundation for Arts and Culture, he donated the entire advertising appearance fees he earned, totaling 270 million KRW, continuously supporting the cultural and artistic community.

Former Minister Yoo’s donation has been used under the name ‘Yoo In-chon Performing Arts Development Fund’ at the Seoul Foundation for Arts and Culture over the past 16 years (2006?2022), distributed to a total of 27 cultural and artistic organizations to enable artists to continue challenging and diverse artistic creative activities. In addition, support for the publication of specialized art books has led to the publication of books in various genres such as theater, dance, and gugak (traditional Korean music).

Former Minister Yoo In-chon said, “The Seoul Foundation for Arts and Culture is a place close to my heart where I worked as the inaugural CEO to promote cultural enjoyment for citizens. It is deeply moving that it has already been 18 years. Although there were art support projects at the time, there was no support for art scholars, so I established the ‘Performing Arts Development Fund.’ I am grateful that it has been used meaningfully and that I have received this special award.”

Lee Chang-gi, CEO of the Seoul Foundation for Arts and Culture, stated, “We deeply appreciate former Minister Yoo’s dedication to the development of Korea’s cultural and artistic community. To publicize his good deed of supporting culture and arts through his personal donation, we have decided to present this award under the name ‘Special Contribution Award’ with the hearts of Seoul citizens, the cultural and artistic community, and the employees of the Seoul Foundation for Arts and Culture.”

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