Freddy Lim, Former Chthonic Vocalist, Appointed as Head of Representative Office
Former Member of Parliament and Head of Amnesty International Taiwan
Taiwan has drawn attention by appointing a heavy metal musician as its top envoy to Helsinki, Finland.
On May 21 (local time), the New York Times (NYT) reported that Freddy Lim, 49, the vocalist of the renowned Taiwanese band Chthonic, will assume the post of head of Taiwan’s representative office in Helsinki. Lim formed the band in 1995 when he was a university student. Chthonic gained global recognition for its unique musical style, which blends Nordic black metal with traditional Taiwanese music. The band has enjoyed popularity not only in Taiwan but also in Europe and the United States, and in 2007, it joined the world-famous heavy metal festival tour Ozzfest. Ozzfest, created by British heavy metal legend Ozzy Osbourne, saw Chthonic perform in 24 major U.S. cities as well as across Europe during the tour.
On social media, Lim stated, "Having worked with industry colleagues in Finland for a long time, I have developed a special affection for this country." Chthonic is known to have released four albums under a Finnish label. Finland has the highest ratio of heavy metal bands in the world, with 80 bands per 100,000 people. In particular, Finland is a hub for musical activity in the black metal genre, a subgenre of extreme metal that developed primarily in Nordic countries like Norway.
Taiwan’s decision to appoint Lim as its representative to Finland is not solely due to his musical reputation. Taiwan’s Foreign Minister Joseph Wu explained, "Lim was selected as representative based on his human rights activism and international exchange experience." In addition to his musical career, Lim has also been noted for his political activities. From 2010 to 2014, he served as head of Amnesty International Taiwan. In 2014, he actively participated in the Sunflower Movement, a large-scale student protest against a trade agreement between Taiwan and China. In 2015, he was elected to parliament as a member of the newly formed New Power Party. After his first term, he ran as an independent in 2019 and was re-elected. While performing with his band, he released songs that addressed political topics such as Taiwanese independence and criticism of China, delivering messages that emphasized Taiwan’s identity to the world.
After his appointment as representative, Lim highlighted his diverse experiences on Facebook, stating, "These experiences have instilled in me a sense of mission regarding Taiwan’s international issues. I will work to strengthen exchanges and cooperation between Finland and Taiwan and to garner stronger support."
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