New head of Korea's Cultural Heritage Administration meets with press for first time

Choi Eung-chon, the new head of the Cultural Heritage Administration, speaks to the local press on Wednesday at the Korea House in central Seoul. [YONHAP]

Choi Eung-chon, the new head of the Cultural Heritage Administration under President Yoon Suk-yeol, met with local reporters for the first time on Wednesday at the Korea House in central Seoul.

“I was appointed on May 13, soon after the new president took office, but I wanted to have some sort of an idea of the different projects that the administration is involved in and the pending issues before meeting with the local press,” Choi said.

Choi brought a list of projects that the administration hopes to focus on over the next couple of years of his direction, hoping to discuss various topics with the reporters, but was bombarded with questions regarding the preservation of the Blue House — a heated debate since Park Bo-gyoon, minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism, announced that the Blue House would be transformed into a “multi-purpose cultural complex” last week.

Park said that the Culture Ministry will now manage the Blue House and that exhibitions and performances will be held in different corners of the building and grounds, while still maintaining the historical value of the site. He also emphasized the site will not be modified but maintained under strict care so that it can also be preserved as modern cultural heritage.

However, Park's plans received instant criticism from cultural heritage experts, saying that the Blue House should undergo thorough research first for its value as a cultural heritage before talking about its utilization, blaming the administration for not acting strongly enough to protect the country’s cultural heritage. The administration is an affiliate of the Culture Ministry.

Choi said that although the Blue House is managed by the Culture Ministry, the administration will continue to study and conduct research on the site.

“The ministry is aware of this as well. The Culture Ministry’s role will be to manage and operate the Blue House, while we will focus on preservation and research,” Choi said. “That way, we can balance it out. It’s actually better for us because managing the Blue House so far has been a lot of work for us.”

Choi, who served as the chairman of the Oversees Korean Cultural Foundation for about two years prior to the appointment, is known for specializing in Buddhist art. He also served as a professor of art history at Dongguk University from 2008 to just before the appointment.

BY YIM SEUNG-HYE [yim.seunghye@joongang.co.kr]