Hwang Kyo-ik, a pro-ruling-party food columnist, was appointed head of the Korea Culture and Tourism Institute (KCTI), a government-affiliated research institute.
On the 17th, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism said it appointed Hwang as head of the Korea Culture and Tourism Institute (KCTI). The new chief, Hwang, started as a reporter at the Nongmin Shinmun and made his name by appearing on TV programs such as "Wednesday Food Talk" and "Alssul Sinjab." In 2021, when President Lee Jae-myung was serving as Gyeonggi governor, Hwang was named to lead the Gyeonggi Tourism Organization but resigned on his own after a controversy over a "reward for loyalty" appointment.
The Korea Culture and Tourism Institute (KCTI) is a research institute established in 2002 with the aim of conducting research, surveys, and evaluations to promote culture and the arts, cultural industries, and tourism. Minister Chae Hwi-young of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism (MCST) said, "The new chief is expected to make a significant contribution to innovating the Korea Culture and Tourism Institute (KCTI) and helping the institute leap forward as a research organization leading 'K-culture,' drawing on deep insight and diverse on-site experience."
The new chief, Hwang, is known to have been close to President Lee Jae-myung since Lee's days as Gyeonggi governor. Lee, then the Gyeonggi governor, in June 2021 named Hwang as a candidate to head the Gyeonggi Tourism Organization and filmed a "tteokbokki eating show," which fueled controversy. The video drew criticism after it became known to have been filmed on the day a fire at Coupang's Deokpyeong Logistics Center in Icheon, Gyeonggi, caused casualties.
The new chief, Hwang, has repeatedly sparked controversy with politically charged remarks that crossed the line. During the 2022 presidential election, Hwang wrote on Facebook, "Candidate Yoon Suk-yeol, who is calling for a preemptive strike (on North Korea), is Ito Hirobumi, and candidate Lee Jae-myung, who is calling for peace, is Ahn Jung-geun," and said, "The presidential election (this year) has turned out to be a showdown with pro-Japanese collaborators."
In Dec. 2020, when Jeong Gyeong-sim, a Dongyang University professor and wife of former Minister of Justice Cho Kuk, was sentenced to four years in prison at her first trial on charges including admissions-related corruption, Hwang said, "Cho Kuk and his family are walking up Golgotha. The crown of thorns has been placed on their heads, and they have shouldered the cross." Hwang added, "If they had said they wouldn't push ahead with prosecution reform, if they had said they wouldn't take the justice minister post, they would not have walked this path," and wrote, "It is the path of Jesus. Jesus is walking with them."