Assemblyman Kim Seungsoo Criticizes Appointment of Hwang Kyoik as President of Korea Culture & Tourism Institute as Politically Motivated

Criticism of Ministry Appointment: "No Verification of Expertise"
Cultural and Artistic Community Holds Press Conference Condemning Government Personnel Policy

On April 22, Assemblyman Kim Seungsoo of the Culture, Sports and Tourism Committee criticized the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism for appointing Mr. Hwang Kyoik as President of the Korea Culture & Tourism Institute, calling it "a classic case of an appointment based on political affiliation and favoritism, disregarding expertise and fairness."

According to Assemblyman Kim's office, the Presidential Candidate Recommendation Committee for the Korea Culture & Tourism Institute had, through an open recruitment process and review in February, recommended three final candidates. The Ministry excluded two PhD-level experts with more than 20 years of research experience in the field of culture and tourism, and on April 17 appointed Mr. Hwang as the final selection.

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism stated only that it "comprehensively considered competency, vision, and communication skills as President," but refused to submit specific evaluation criteria or comparative review materials between candidates to the assemblyman's office.

Assemblyman Kim pointed out that Mr. Hwang was involved in controversy for eating tteokbokki with Gyeonggi Governor Lee Jaemyung on the day of the Coupang Logistics Center fire in Icheon in June 2021, and when he was previously considered as a candidate for CEO of the Gyeonggi Tourism Organization, his appointment was canceled due to questions over lack of expertise.

He argued, "The Korea Culture & Tourism Institute is a core national research institution that designs mid-to-long-term strategies for the cultural arts, Hallyu, content, and tourism industries," adding, "Appointing someone based on political affiliation without verification of expertise could undermine trust in the overall culture and tourism policy."

The previous day, 65 organizations and 794 individuals from the cultural and artistic community also issued a joint statement in front of the Blue House, criticizing, "The Lee Jaemyung administration must stop celebrity, campaign, and closed-door appointments."

Assemblyman Kim further stated, "Criticism of celebrity-based appointments is spreading, as seen not only in Mr. Hwang's case, but also with the appointment of Mr. Seo Seungman as CEO of the National Jeongdong Theater, Mr. Jang Dongjik as Chairman of the National Jeongdong Theater, and the controversy over Mr. Lee Wonjong being nominated as President of the Korea Creative Content Agency."

He went on to urge, "The Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism must disclose the screening results and comparative evaluation materials used among candidates in the process of appointing public institution heads," and demanded, "Immediately withdraw unqualified appointments that have sparked controversy over expertise and conduct an internal audit."

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