Popera tenor Lim Hyung-joo named youngest-ever special professor at Sookmyung Women's University

World-renowned popera tenor Lim Hyung-joo, 40, has been appointed as a special professor at Sookmyung Women's University, becoming the youngest person ever to hold the position at the school.

According to his agency Digienkom on Friday, Lim was appointed as a special professor at Sookmyung Women's University's College of Hallyu International Studies and will personally teach the "Popera Choir Class," which begins Saturday.

Of the full 12-week course, Lim will lead the "Popera Choir Class" for five weeks. The class drew dozens of enrollees as soon as registration opened.

The Yongsan Cultural Foundation, where Lim serves as chairman, signed an MOU with Sookmyung Women's University in April. As part of the partnership to promote culture and arts among local residents, the foundation took on the role of "art director" for a citizen-participation arts education program, presenting the open lecture series "Beyond Art Class" together with the university's Future Education Center.

Lim previously became the youngest-ever endowed chair professor at Rome City University of Arts, one of his alma maters, in 2015, and this marks his first professorship in his home country in years. "I will do my utmost to pass on the special experiences and artistic achievements I have built on the world stage to Sookmyung students, to expand opportunities for local residents to enjoy the arts, and to devote myself wholeheartedly to laying the groundwork for the sustainable development and academic foundation of K-culture," he said.

Lim first gained attention in 1998 with his debut solo album and began his career in earnest as a popera tenor with his official debut stage in 2003. He sang the national anthem at the inauguration of President Roh Moo-hyun, the 16th president, becoming the youngest person ever to do so at a presidential inauguration. At the same time as his debut, he held a solo recital at Carnegie Hall in New York, becoming the youngest male vocalist in the world to do so, with the show selling out completely. Since 2023, he has served as a standing committee member of the presidential National Unification Advisory Council, and he was also elected a life fellow of the Royal Society of Arts in the United Kingdom.