Director Son Jin-chaek Elected Next Chair of National Academy of Arts
Creatrip Team
3 months ago
The National Academy of Arts of Korea elected veteran theatre director Son Jin-chaek (81) as its 42nd chair at its 76th general meeting held on the 27th. Poet Shin Dal-ja (82) was named vice-chair. Their two-year terms begin on December 20. Son, who leads the theatre company Michu, debuted in 1974 with the play Seoul Malttuk-i and helped institutionalize madangnori (traditional Korean outdoor community theatre). He served as overall director for the 2002 Korea–Japan World Cup opening ceremony, directed the 2008 presidential inauguration, and was artistic director of the National Theater from 2010–2013. His honors include the Lee Hae-rang Theatre Award and the Order of Cultural Merit (Mokryeon). Shin debuted as a poet in 1964 with “A Night of Illusions” and has published collections such as The Foolish Lover, Winter Festival, and The Room of Contradiction. She has received major literary awards including the Korea Literature Prize and the Manhae Prize, and was awarded the Order of Cultural Merit (Eungwan). Both have been Academy members since the 2010s.
