ACC embarks on fresh start with long-awaited chief

The first official chairman of the Asia Culture Center finally took office on Tuesday after years of an interim head system.

Lee Kang-hyun became the first chair to lead the organization for the next three years. Previously, ACC was run by several interim heads since it was launched in 2015 as its previous five attempts failed to find a qualified person.

ACC, located in the old center of the southwestern city of Gwangju, is a multicultural complex backed by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism.

Lee is a former TV producer who worked at various affiliates of Korean Broadcasting System. His latest role was the vice president of KBS Art Vision, a company specialized in a variety of support services for KBS in stage-setting, props, special effects, computer graphics, costumes and other broadcast production and exhibition related areas.

“We will strive to be reborn as a cultural power plant that produces experimental and convergent contents representing Korea by using research on Asian culture as well as exchange and cooperation between countries as a source of creation,” Lee said on Tuesday.

The Special Act on the Development of Asian Culture Hub City, which became the foundation of the establishment of ACC in 2006, was revised in September last year. Subsequently, the Asia Culture Center and the Asia Culture Institute, which was responsible for the creation and management of content at the ACC, were combined last month to develop synergies while eliminating overlapping functions.

Since its launch in November 2015, the multicultural complex has attracted 11.26 million visitors during its short lifespan despite spending two years of COVID-19. It has presented almost 1,100 cultural works, 75 percent of which were premieres at the center.

By Park Ga-young (gypark@heraldcorp.com)