Minister candidate Choi Hwi-young - K-Culture as the core driving force of the national economy

1. The emergence of new figures at the turning point of the era

In July 2025, the Lee Jae-myung administration nominated Choi Hwi-young, co-representative of Nolu Universe, as the candidate for Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism. The emergence of a private sector expert based on a platform, moving away from the traditional bureaucratic-centric leadership of the ministry, marks a significant event demonstrating the innovative direction of cultural administration. This can be interpreted not merely as an unusual appointment but as a strategic choice that aligns with the currents of the times and reflects the government's philosophy of pursuing both technological convergence and globalization of the cultural industry. In the digital environment, the flow of content and consumption patterns are undergoing rapid changes. In the reality where it is challenging to respond effectively to these changes through traditional methods, candidate Choi Hwi-young is gaining attention as a figure who can present a turning point for public cultural policy, based on practical experience accumulated through private platforms and a user-centered approach. At a time when it is crucial to protect the value of culture while industrializing it and connecting it to the global market, the need for platform-type leaders is increasingly recognized.

2. Three-dimensional career – Practical talent who knows the field

The career of candidate Choi Hwi-young has drawn a multidimensional trajectory rather than a linear one. He began his journey as a reporter at Yonhap News in 1991, later moving to YTN, and in 2000, he transitioned to Yahoo Korea, marking his entry into the information technology industry. From 2002, he worked at NHN (now Naver) as Planning Director, Executive Director, and CEO, where he is recognized for laying the foundation of the Korean portal industry and leading its growth direction. His career is filled with experiences that demonstrate how technology, content, platforms, and services should converge in practice. During his time as the CEO of Naver, he contributed to establishing news editing and search algorithm structures, and in 2009, he received the Order of Industrial Service Merit for his contributions to the IT industry. Afterward, in 2016, he founded the travel platform 'Triple' to innovate content consumption methods and implemented AI-based services that enable personalized travel experiences. Recently, he has served as co-CEO of 'Nol Universe,' born from the merger of Yanolja and Interpark Triple, building a platform ecosystem that integrates travel, culture, performances, and shopping. This multidimensional background not only reflects his experience in the IT sector but also leads to deep insights into the actual consumption patterns of culture and the ways technology can merge with it. In today's context, where cultural policies expand from content planning to distribution and experience, his practical experience becomes a highly valuable asset for designing the new role of the Ministry of Culture.

3. Nolu Universe - A space where technology and culture meet

Nol Universe has established a differentiated identity as a hyper-personalized leisure platform based on technology and data, moving beyond the existing fragmented cultural consumption structure. This platform integrates Yanolja's accommodation reservation system, Interpark's infrastructure for performances, flights, and books, and Triple's travel curation technology, allowing users to experience everything from flight bookings to watching performances, exploring local restaurants, and utilizing accommodations all in one space. Nol Universe is not just a collection of services it is a space that embodies a user-centered integrated experience. Particularly, the K-culture specialized services for foreign tourists connect the content appeal of traveling in Korea across multiple dimensions such as performances, food, beauty, and shopping, contributing to strengthening the national brand. This platform, which combines a technological foundation with cultural sensitivity, can be considered a model for how culture operates and spreads in digital environments. Moreover, Nol Universe presents new solutions by applying private technology to challenges that are difficult to address in the public sphere. Through data-driven user analysis, it enables the design of policies centered on actual demand and has great scalability applicable to the innovation of distribution structures in the performance and content industries as well as strategies for revitalizing local tourism. Ultimately, Nol Universe is an experimental platform that connects technology, culture, services, and consumer touchpoints, serving as a pre-implementation example of the direction the Ministry of Culture and Sports should take.

4. Consistency with Lee Jae-myung's Government Philosophy

The Lee Jae-myung administration has adhered to a pragmatic personnel policy centered around private experts since its inception. It particularly emphasizes the execution power of policies, maintaining a personnel style that prioritizes feasibility over planning capacity and execution experience over mere ideas. Within this framework, the selection of candidate Choi Hwi-young is a very natural extension. President Lee Jae-myung shares the understanding that K-culture should not be seen merely as soft power but as a core driving force of the national economy. The government is strategically promoting the 'K-Culture 300 trillion market,' based on the philosophy that various cultural elements such as the content industry, tourism, performances, and Hallyu consumption must directly relate to economic viability. This philosophy aligns with the management strategy of candidate Choi, who has provided user-customized content centered around platform structures. Furthermore, candidate Choi demonstrates high consistency with the key policy tasks of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, which include digital transformation, revitalizing local tourism, and expanding sports diplomacy. Digital transformation has already been realized in various ways through his platform management, and the planning of locally specialized tourism products and the distribution of global performance content are areas where tangible results have been achieved at Triple and Noly Universe. Even when transitioning to public policy, he is a figure with sufficient execution capacity.

5. The Possibility of Innovation in Cultural Administration

Cultural policy should not be limited to simple budget execution or administrative procedures. It is a high-level comprehensive planning area that needs to design experiences and organically connect the public and the market, tradition and technology. In this regard, candidate Choi Hwi-young, who is an expert in platforms and a digital service planner, is a suitable person to design a new type of cultural administration. Although there are some perceptions that his experience in public service is relatively lacking, this can also be interpreted as an opportunity to actively reflect the private sector's sensibilities in cultural administration. Ideas that break away from existing practices and a user-centered approach can actually become significant assets in opening the direction for the Ministry of Culture to move forward. The Lee Jae-myung administration aims to find a balance between culture and technology, publicness and industrialness through a platform figure like Choi Hwi-young. This is not just a simple change but an experiment closer to future-oriented policy design. Culture is the work of preserving the past while designing the future. Candidate Choi Hwi-young has the capability and preparation to handle both aspects. This appointment is expected to be a starting point for opening a new chapter in cultural policy.