Christopher Koo appointed as chairman of Kiaf Seoul organizing committee

The organizing committee of international art fair Kiaf Seoul has appointed Koo Ja-yeol, also known as Christopher Koo, as its new chairman. He succeeds Bahk Byong-won, who has led the committee since 2013.

Koo, who is also chairman of the Korea International Trade Association, will oversee the direction of the committee and take charge of public activities, including building relationships with enterprises, according to Kiaf Seoul.

Koo was appointed chairman of KITA in February 2021 for a three-year term. KITA runs Coex, where Kiaf Seoul will be held in September. He is also a former chairman of LS Group.

Kiaf Seoul is South Korea’s first international art fair, which has been held annually since 2002. The 20-year-old art fair will be held alongside Frieze Seoul at Coex in Gangnam-gu, southern Seoul, starting on Sep.2. Frieze Seoul is the first art fair to be held in Asia by Frieze, which runs contemporary art fairs in London, Los Angeles and New York.

Kiaf Seoul raised 35 billion won ($29.2 million) in sales last year. Kiaf Seoul‘s operating committee is chaired by Hwang Dal-seung, director of Keumsan Gallery and head of the Galleries Association of Korea.

By Park Yuna (yunapark@heraldcorp.com)