‘Retirement’ Kang Chun-ja KLPGT CEO "I Will Live as a Golf Evangelist"

30-Year Golf Administrator Ends Tenure... Retirement on April 15

"I will live my life as an ambassador of golf."

Kang Chun-ja, CEO of KLPGT, is drawing the curtain on 30 years of golf administration and returning to private life.
[Photo by KLPGA]

Kang Chun-ja, the CEO of the Korea Ladies Professional Golf Tour (KLPGT), is returning to private life. On the 2nd, Kang said, "I plan to step down after completing my three-year term as KLPGT CEO," adding, "With the help of many people, I have had a very rewarding journey." She expressed her gratitude, saying, "I thank all those who have supported the development of women's golf, including sponsors, media, golf courses, and players," and added, "Now, I will live my life as an ambassador of golf."

Kang is a living witness to the history of Korean women's golf. In 1978, she passed the first women's professional golf test held in Korea along with the late Han Myung-hyun, the late Gu Ok-hee, and the late Ahn Jong-hyun, earning the 'membership number 1.' Kang accumulated a total of 10 wins on the Korean and Japanese tours and began her career as an administrator in 1992 when she was appointed executive director of the Korea Ladies Professional Golf Association (KLPGA). She was appointed vice president in 1999 and took on the full-time senior vice president position in 2011. Since 2020, she has served as the CEO of KLPGT, a subsidiary managing the tour. After more than 30 years as a golf administrator, she will retire on April 15.

Kang recalled, "The KLPGA Tour has now firmly established itself as one of the world's top three golf tours," and said, "I feel proud to have played a small role in the development of the KLPGA Tour over the past 11 years." This year, the KLPGA Tour will hold a record 32 tournaments with a total prize money of 31.1 billion KRW and an average prize of 970 million KRW. Kang expressed her gratitude, saying, "There are many outstanding juniors better than me, so the future of Korean women's golf is bright," and added, "I would appreciate it if you continue to show much love and interest in women's golf as you have done so far."