Scholar-turned-culture minister nominee known for administrative skills

SEOUL, Aug. 30 (Yonhap) -- Choe Kwang-sik, the newly nominated culture minister, is a history scholar who served as head of the National Museum of Korea and the Cultural Heritage Administration.
Choe, 58, will be the first culture minister to have served in the two top cultural posts.
A graduate of Korea University, Choe majored in ancient Korean history and has taught history at his alma mater university since 1995.
Choe was named the head of the National Museum of Korea in 2008 before becoming the head of the Cultural Heritage Administration earlier this year.
During his term as the museum chief, Choe showed off excellent administrative skills, successfully organizing a series of big events, including hosting global leaders of the Group of 20 nations at a dinner reception at the museum when Seoul hosted the G20 summit in November last year.
A Buddhist follower, Choe is also credited for contributing to resolving disputes between the government and the Buddhist circles.


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