"When we look back at the achievements and milestones our culture and arts sector has accomplished so far, it is truly astonishing. We all feel an immense sense of pride."
On July 14, Culture, Sports and Tourism Minister nominee Choi Hwiyoung briefly expressed his pride in the accomplishments of Korea's culture and arts sector as he arrived for his first day at the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art in Seoul to prepare for his confirmation hearing.
Culture, Sports and Tourism Minister nominee Choi Hwiyoung is expressing his thoughts as he arrives for his first day at the confirmation hearing preparation office set up at the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art in Jongno-gu, Seoul on July 14, 2025. Photo by Jo Yongjun
Choi has built his career in a variety of fields, including the media, portal services, and travel platforms. Within the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism's areas of responsibility, he is considered to have expertise in tourism, while being relatively less experienced in culture and sports.
Choi stated, "I feel a heavy sense of responsibility in taking on this important role," and added, "I will strive to examine whether we are making the most of our opportunities, and to identify and carry out what needs to be done to further strengthen and expand our cultural capabilities, approaching these tasks from perspectives that may be somewhat different from those of the past."
As a former portal CEO, he also emphasized the need to prepare for technological change. He said, "I will also review whether we are well prepared in all areas, including culture, arts, sports, and tourism, for the imminent era of artificial intelligence (AI)."
When asked about concerns regarding his relative lack of experience in culture and sports, given his background in information technology (IT) and travel platforms, Choi responded that he would address such questions during the confirmation hearing and moved on.
Choi was born in 1964 in Busan and spent his school years in Seoul. He graduated from Kyungseong High School and the Department of English Language and Literature at Sogang University. Beginning in 1991, he worked as a journalist at Yonhap News Agency and YTN, then moved to Yahoo Korea in 2000 to build his career in portal services. From 2002, he joined NHN, serving as head of planning at the Naver headquarters, and from 2005, served as CEO of Naver for four years.
In 2016, Choi founded the hyper-personalized travel platform 'Triple.' He was serving as CEO of Nol Universe, a comprehensive leisure, travel, and culture platform created through the merger of Triple with Interpark and Yanolja, when he was nominated as minister.
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