[Profile] Yoo In-chon, Minister of Culture Candidate... Arts Background and Cultural Policy Expert

President's Special Advisor on Culture and Sports Becomes Minister in 2 Months
Achievements Include Strengthening Copyright Protection and Seoul Branch of Hyundai Art Museum

On the 13th, Yoo In-chon, nominated as the Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism, is an expert in cultural policy with a background as an artist. He served as the first Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism under the Lee Myung-bak administration for about three years from 2008 to 2011. After stepping down, he held positions such as Special Cultural Advisor to the President and Chairman of the Seoul Arts Center. In July, he was appointed as the Presidential Special Advisor for Culture and Sports, a newly established position under the Yoon Suk-yeol administration. Demonstrating the work drive he proved during his ministerial tenure, he was nominated as the Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism again in just over two months.

Yoon In-chon. Photo by Dongju Yoon doso7@

He is more familiar to the public as an actor. Born in 1951 in Wanju, Jeonbuk, Yoo earned a bachelor's degree in Theater and Film and a master's degree in Theater from Chung-Ang University. Starting with "Othello" in 1971, he appeared on the theater stage and was selected as part of MBC’s 6th open talent recruitment in 1973. He gained much love for his role as Yong-sik, the second son of Chairman Kim’s household, in the drama "Jeonwon Ilgi" for 22 years. He also appeared in dramas such as "500 Years of Joseon Dynasty," "The Era of Three Kims," and films like "Yeonsan Diary" and "Kim’s War." Recently, he has actively performed leading roles in plays such as "Hamlet," "Problematic Human Yeonsan," "Holstomer," and "Faust," showing his passion for acting.

Yoo is classified as a representative figure of the Lee Myung-bak faction. He formed a connection by playing Park Hyung-seop, a character modeled after former President Lee Myung-bak, in the 1990 KBS drama "Years of Ambition." In 2002, he joined Lee Myung-bak’s Seoul mayoral transition committee as a member and served as the first CEO of the Seoul Foundation for Arts and Culture in 2004. During the 2007 presidential election, he joined Lee Myung-bak’s Grand National Party campaign and later worked as an advisory committee member after the transition committee was launched. In April, former President Lee supported Yoo by watching "Faust." In June, Yoo also graced the launch ceremony of the "Hamanhacheon (One Day Ten Thousand Steps, One Day Thousand Characters - a brain health campaign through walking and writing)" movement headquarters, which this publication is conducting nationwide this year.

During his tenure as Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism under the Lee Myung-bak administration, Yoo achieved results such as strengthening copyright protection, establishing the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art Seoul branch and the National Museum of Korean Contemporary History, and reorganizing the cultural and artistic support system. He was known as a "field-oriented" minister who paid close attention to the field. Reflecting on his past experience as minister, he said, "I had a completely different experience in life and encountered various fields. I experienced administration, organization, budget, and personnel, which really helped my acting a lot." He also confessed, "I had many opportunities to see both the exterior and interior of people, which made me think a lot."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

◆ Yoo In-chon Profile

▲ From Wanju, Jeonbuk ▲ Hansung High School ▲ Chung-Ang University Department of Theater and Film and Graduate School ▲ MBC Open Talent Recruitment 6th Class ▲ CEO of Seoul Foundation for Arts and Culture ▲ Professor at Chung-Ang University Department of Theater and Film ▲ Full-time Special Advisor to Lee Myung-bak, Grand National Party Presidential Candidate ▲ Advisory Committee Member of the 17th Presidential Transition Committee’s Social, Education, and Culture Subcommittee ▲ Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism ▲ Special Cultural Advisor to the President ▲ Chairman of the Seoul Arts Center ▲ Presidential Special Advisor for Culture and Sports

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