Choi Hwi-young Attended 18% of Government Meetings, 86% of Private Company Meetings

Attended Only 14% of National Youth Committee Meetings
Attended Most Hanatour Meetings with an Annual Salary of 14 Million Won

There have been claims that Choi Hwi-young, the nominee for Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism, attended only 18% of government committee meetings, while he participated in most meetings of private companies.

On the 27th, the office of Kim Seung-soo, a member of the People Power Party, stated that nominee Choi attended only 4 out of 22 meetings held by the National Youth Committee under the Prime Minister's Office between May 2005 and February 2008.

In contrast, as an outside director at Hanatour, Choi attended 19 out of 22 meetings from March 2015 to January 2016. This attendance rate of 86% was significantly higher than his 18% attendance rate at government meetings. At that time, Choi received an annual salary of approximately 14 million won from Hanatour.

Kim Seung-soo commented, "It is shocking that a nominee who held an important position discussing youth policies failed to properly attend meetings and merely polished his personal and corporate image," adding, "We will thoroughly verify his morality and expertise through the confirmation hearing."

In response, the nominee's confirmation hearing preparation team stated, "While serving as a member of the Youth Committee, Choi was also the CEO of Naver and played an active role in promoting the committee's activities," and added, "We will provide further details during the confirmation hearing."

Culture, Sports and Tourism Minister nominee Choi Hwiyoung is expressing his thoughts as he arrives for his first day at the hearing preparation office set up at the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art in Jongno-gu, Seoul on July 14, 2025. Photo by Cho Yongjun