Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism appoints Kim Joo-won to lead Korean National Ballet

South Korea's Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism said Thursday it had appointed Kim Joo-won as head and artistic director of the Korean National Ballet for a three-year term, citing her experience as a performer, educator and arts administrator.

The appointment took effect on Aug. 6, when Culture Minister Choi Hwi-young presented Kim with an appointment certificate; she is also the artistic director and representative of the Korea Ballet Festival and artistic director of the Busan Opera House Ballet Company.

After graduating from Russia's Bolshoi Ballet School, Kim joined the Korean National Ballet and served as a principal dancer from 1998 to 2012 before becoming an associate professor of dance arts at Sungshin Women's University, a post she held through 2023.

In 2006, Kim won Benois de la Danse's best female dancer award. Her other roles include a resident guest principal position at Universal Ballet in 2014 and a board seat at Seoul Arts Center from 2021 to 2025.

Choi called Kim "the right person for the role," saying her long career as a principal dancer had developed alongside Korean ballet and had given her broad expertise in practical work, education and arts administration.

He expects Kim's appointment to help the Korean National Ballet gain broader public support, expand ballet's audience and strengthen its international competitiveness. Founded in 1962, the organization stages classical and original ballet while promoting exchanges and training younger dancers.