Korea names Kwon Tae-sun to lead press promotion foundation

The culture ministry appointed Kwon Tae-sun, a former newspaper editor, as chairman of the Korea Press Foundation on Friday, giving him a three-year term at the agency that handles government advertising and runs press-related programmes.

Culture Minister Choi Hwi-young handed Kwon his letter of appointment the same day, according to a ministry release. Kwon, born in 1955, studied English education at Seoul National University and holds a master's degree in journalism and information from Hanyang University.

At the Hankyoreh he served as a writer for the editorial board, and was editor-in-chief from 2011 to 2014, a post he had also held from 2007 to 2008. He later ran Huffington Post Korea as chief executive from 2014 to 2015 and sat on the board of the Korean Broadcasting System from 2015 to 2018. Most recently he chaired the Foundation for Broadcast Culture from 2021 to 2026.

The Korea Press Foundation was established in 2010 as a public institution outside the main government structure. It runs government advertising on behalf of the state, supports journalism training and media education, and operates the Press Center.

"The forms of the press are diversifying and demand for its social role is growing in the era of the artificial intelligence transition," Choi said. "With the new chairman's appointment, I hope the Korea Press Foundation will lead change in the media industry and build a press environment the public can trust."