Foreign-born man wins top position

Lee Charm

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism announced yesterday that it has appointed Lee Charm, a German-born, naturalized Korean TV personality, as the president of Korea Tourism Organization. He is the first foreign-born senior government official.

Lee’s taking of the top position at a state-run organization, possibly one of the most conservative circles in the country, is a major move for one of the most closed-off and homogeneous societies in the world. Korea has been turning into a “multicultural society” in recent years with a rapid increase in foreign population and international marriages. The foreign population in Korea has exceeded the 1 million mark in recent years and international marriages in the country represented 11 percent of all marriages last year.

The seat Lee is taking has been vacant since Oh Jee-chul, the former head of KTO, resigned in May. Lee appeared to tear up at a press conference in which he said that he is honored by the appointment. “I feel that if people around the world know Korea as I do, so many people would visit Korea,” Lee said. “Over the last 30 years I was in Korea, I have come to know Korea. And with that I feel a sense of duty that I can and should share this with others.”

Born in Germany in 1954, Lee majored in French and theology at Gutenberg University. His original name was Bernhard Quandt. He came to Korea in 1978 and married a Korean in 1982. Lee became a naturalized Korean citizen in 1986 and renamed himself Lee Han-woo. “Han” in Korean connotes Korea and “woo” connotes help. In 2001, he renamed himself Lee Charm. A word similar to Lee’s first name, “cham,” implies participation.

Besides appearing in several local TV dramas, Lee has been involved in government efforts to promote Korean culture, including hosting “Lee Charm’s Upgrade Korea” show on KTV.

Though there have been some concerns about Lee’s ability to manage a public organization, Lee said he doesn’t believe management skills are the only thing needed to lead an organization.

“If they wanted an experienced business manager, they wouldn’t have appointed me,” Lee said. “I think communication is crucial for this job and that’s something I’ve been doing all my life. I can show the international community about Korea’s attractions.” Lee said he thinks the biggest problem with Korean tourism is that Korean people are unaware of the country’s value as a tourist attraction, adding that he will strengthen education programs, spruce up storytelling aspects of guided tours, among others’ endeavors.

By Kim Hyung-eun [hkim@joongang.co.kr]