Hwang Dae-sung, who began his career as a Grade 7 civil servant at Songpa-gu District Office and rose through the ranks over more than 30 years to serve as section chief and bureau director before retiring, took office as the 4th president of the Songpa Cultural Foundation. He had previously served as president of the Songpa District Facilities Management Corporation under the eighth term of local elected government.
A graduate of the University of Seoul, Hwang spent three decades in public service at Songpa-gu District Office, more than 10 of those years on the front lines of the district's cultural administration.
He personally planned and executed the inaugural Hanseong Baekje Cultural Festival in 1994 and led the establishment and operation of key community libraries, including Songpa Children's Library and Geulmaru Library. From 2023, he served three years as president of the Songpa District Facilities Management Corporation, driving significant organizational reform and improved management efficiency — earning a reputation as someone who combines deep administrative experience with strong management capability.
Hwang also served as campaign headquarters chief for Seo Gang-seok, then a preliminary candidate for Songpa-gu district mayor in the eighth term of local elected government, and is credited with contributing significantly to Seo's election victory. With Seo winning re-election in the ninth term, Hwang was appointed to lead the Songpa Cultural Foundation.
Hwang was inaugurated as the foundation's 4th president at a ceremony held Tuesday at the Art Hall of Songpa Arts and Culture Center.
A close associate of Songpa-gu District Mayor Seo Gang-seok, Hwang outlined three priority initiatives in his inaugural address, pledging to work in step with the district mayor's governing philosophy of "serving residents as the true owners of the district" and building "Songpa into a world-class cultural city."
On resident-centered cultural policy, Hwang said the foundation would move away from showy, one-off events and instead immediately establish a task force dedicated to discovering and expanding cultural content — ensuring residents can experience arts and culture in their everyday lives. The goal, he said, is a substantial increase in high-quality, resident-focused cultural programming.
On building a global K-culture brand, Hwang outlined a strategy to connect Songpa's distinctive cultural and tourism assets into a single, cohesive offering — drawing on the district's 493-year history as the capital of the Hanseong Baekje kingdom and the legacy of the 1988 Seoul Olympics. Key assets include Seokchon Lake, Lotte World Tower, Olympic Park and the Jamsil MICE complex. Through this, he said, Songpa would be firmly established as a world-class K-culture city representing South Korea.
On building a trusted, innovation-driven foundation, Hwang said he would apply his 30 years of administrative experience and expertise running a public corporation to foster a creative organizational culture in which labor and management work as one team. He also pledged to strengthen cooperative networks with Songpa-gu District Office, the district council, local and youth artists, and businesses to raise the foundation's public credibility.
"Culture is the most powerful force for connecting people and breathing life into a city," Hwang said. "Drawing on 30 years of administrative experience and passion, I will devote every effort to making Songpa a world-class cultural city — one where every resident can enjoy culture and where artists want to stay."
He added that achieving that vision would require active cooperation from Songpa-gu District Office and the district council, vibrant creative activity by local and youth artists, corporate sponsorship, and broad participation from arts and cultural organizations, and called on all relevant bodies to sustain their support.
The inauguration ceremony opened with a pre-ceremony performance by the Bellusia Quartet, followed by the national salute, the inaugural address, congratulatory remarks from guests of honor, and closing performances by flamenco and Zumba dance troupes.
seouldream01@heraldcorp.com
