Jung Han-seok Programmer Appointed as Busan Film Festival Executive Director

Jeong Han-seok, the new Executive Committee Chair. Photo by Busan International Film Festival

The Busan International Film Festival (BIFF) held its 3rd Board of Directors meeting and 2nd Extraordinary General Meeting on the 20th at the Busan Cinema Center in Haeundae-gu, Busan, and elected Jeong Han-seok, a Korean film programmer, as the new Executive Chairman.

The Busan Film Festival Executive Recommendation Committee (hereinafter referred to as the Recommendation Committee) reviewed suitable candidates through two rounds of open recruitment for the Executive Chairman position from January to March 2025. Chairman Park Kwang-su recommended Jeong, one of the two candidates proposed by the Recommendation Committee, as the final candidate to the Board of Directors. Subsequently, the proposal to elect Jeong was approved at the Extraordinary General Meeting.

The Recommendation Committee explained, "Candidate Jeong has a thorough understanding of both the internal and external environments of the festival and various circumstances, and is a qualified person with the capability to further develop the festival."

Executive Chairman Jeong entered the film industry after winning the Cine21 Film Criticism Award in 2002 and worked as a Cine21 journalist and film critic. Since 2019, he has been working as a Korean film programmer for the Busan Film Festival.

The Busan Film Festival had a leadership vacuum for two years following the resignation of former Executive Chairman Heo Mun-young in May 2023. Executive Chairman Jeong is expected to focus on preparing for the festival's 30th anniversary this year alongside Park Kwang-su, Chairman of the Busan Film Festival. Jeong's term as Executive Chairman will be four years, starting from March 21.