'Director of Public Relations at the Ministry of Culture' Officer Hong Seon-ok Passes Away at Age 66 (Comprehensive)

Hong Seon-ok, a public official who dedicated 42 years to cultural promotion and served as the Director of the Press Office at the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, passed away on the 2nd due to an illness. She was 66 years old.

The late Hong Seon-ok, Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism officer. Provided by the National Museum of Korea

She began her public service career in 1982 at the National Museum of Korea. From 1989, she was in charge of public relations and the publication of the "Museum Newspaper" for 17 years. In 2007, she moved to the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism's spokesperson office, where she handled media relations and press support for another 17 years.

As a veteran PR expert who served under nine presidents from former President Jeon Du-hwan to President Yoon Seok-yeol and 31 ministers, she played a prominent role at major cultural and sports events, including the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics and Paralympics, inter-Korean cultural and sports exchanges, and the recent Gangwon Youth Winter Olympics.

During her tenure, she was known for meticulously taking care of the personal matters of visiting journalists, with over 10,000 journalist phone numbers saved on her mobile phone. Despite having no official title, she was often called the "Head of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism Public Relations Office" due to her unique role. In 2013, she received a presidential citation in recognition of her contributions.

After retiring in 2021, she continued working on a contract basis. In April 2023, she was diagnosed with peritonitis and began chemotherapy. Remarkably, she returned to work within just two months and remained active on site for a year and a half. However, her condition recently worsened, leading to hospitalization and the sad news early this year.

The funeral is being held at Seoul St. Mary's Hospital Funeral Hall, Room 13, with condolences accepted from the afternoon of the 3rd. The funeral procession will take place on the 5th, and the burial site is Jeondeungsa Temple in Ganghwa-gun, Incheon.