Seo Jung-jin, chairman of Celltrion Group (068270), has returned as chairman of the board of the Korea National Opera, taking the post for a second time after serving as its sixth chairman from 2020 to 2023.
The opera company said on the 21st that it held an inauguration ceremony for Seo, its eighth board chairman, on the 15th at the National Arts Companies' rehearsal hall in Seoul. His three-year term began on Oct. 1.
"I will do my best as a steadfast patron and supporter, making full use of the global corporate management expertise and resources I have built up, so that Korean opera can shine even more brightly on the world stage as well as at home," Seo said in his inaugural address.
During his first term, when the performing arts sector was struggling with the COVID-19 pandemic, Seo expanded performance opportunities for artists and supported efforts to strengthen the funding base and improve staff working conditions.
In this term, he plans to focus on strengthening the global competitiveness of Korean opera, building a stable funding base, supporting young artists and broadening public access to the arts. In particular, the opera company said it will exclude school and regional ties from consideration and offer artists fair opportunities to perform based on merit.
Drawing on Seo's global network, the Korea National Opera plans to support overseas performances including the opera "Hwajeonga," to be staged at the Opéra de Montpellier in France in November, and to expand its overseas presence further next year.
"In opera, when you want to hear a welcome voice again, you call out 'encore.' Today is the day the chairman answered the encore that all of us at the Korea National Opera had been waiting for," said Park Hye-jin, director general and artistic director of the Korea National Opera. "We will add our strength so that our artists can raise their voices with confidence on the world stage."
