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Culture, Sports and Tourism Minister Yu In-chon
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Culture, Sports and Tourism Minister Yu In-chon on Tuesday backed off headline-grabbing remarks calling for the resignation of heads of cultural organizations appointed under the Roh Moo-hyun administration. "Whether I like it or not, I've recently come into the spotlight as a new minister,¡± he said during a policy briefing by the Korean National University of Arts on Tuesday. ¡°I¡¯ve been uncomfortable (with the remarks). Some people must have felt uncomfortable, too. I am sorry for that." He added, "Please understand that I'm undergoing a process as a new minister."
The remarks on March 12 caused anger in cultural and art circles. He had said it was ¡°natural¡± for the heads of arts and cultural organizations appointed during the Roh Moo-hyun administration to retire.
Since then, the heads of some cultural organizations -- including Korea Tourism Organization CEO Oh Jee-chul, Seoul Arts Center CEO Shin Hyun-taek, Korea Broadcast Advertising Corporation CEO Jung Soon-kyun, and Arirang TV CEO Chang Myung-ho -- have tendered their resignations.
On Tuesday, Yu said, "Be it conflict or confrontation, I just wished to further the comprehensive development of the community of culture and arts. I meant nothing else. From now on, I'll find other ways to resolve problems." He called artists and officials in cultural circles "colleagues."
A KNUA professor said he got the impression during the briefing ¡°that Minister Yu seemed to try to back down from his previous hardline stance, apparently mindful of the worsening public sentiment with the approach of the general election."
Meanwhile, KTO CEO Oh Jee-chul's resignation has been returned, but no decisions have been made on whether to accept or return the resignations of Shin Hyun-taek, Jung Soon-kyun, and Chang Myung-ho.
(englishnews@chosun.com )
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