[Herald Interview] Brand expert Kim Cheon-soo on elevating Korean culture in NY

Head of new Korean Cultural Center New York hopes new space to become launching pad for artists, investors

Kim Cheon-soo, executive director of the Korean Cultural Center New York, poses for photos after an interview with The Korea Herald on April 26 at the Korean Cultural Center New York in New York. (Park Ga-young/The Korea Herald)

NEW YORK -- The official opening of the Korean Center in New York on Thursday marks a significant milestone, years after the land for a larger center was purchased in 2009. It also coincides with Korean culture enjoying the global spotlight.

The center houses the Korean Cultural Center, the Korea Tourism Organization, the Korea Creative Content Agency and the King Sejong Institute. After Los Angeles, Shanghai, Tokyo, Beijing and Paris, it is the sixth such place where institutions promoting Korean culture are together in one building.

Leading the Korean Cultural Center New York is seasoned brand expert Kim Cheon-soo with more than 30 years of experience at leading advertising agency Cheil Communication and CJ LiveCity, a CJ subsidiary specializing in arena and entertainment facilities. He was appointed as the center's director in March 2023, the third director to hail from the sector in its 45-year history.

“Now that this impressive hardware has been created, the challenge ahead will be deciding what programs and content to fill it with,” Kim told The Korea Herald during an interview on April 26.

Exterior of the new Korean Cultural Center New York located in midtown Manhattan, New York (KCCNY)

The 'hardware,' the building on 22 E 32nd St, New York, next to the Koreatown, did not come easily. The building was completed 14 years after the Culture Ministry, then also under the leadership of the current Culture Minister Yu In-chon, decided to purchase a 590 square meters piece of land, which was being used as a parking lot, for $15.8 million.

Originally scheduled to open in 2012, the construction encountered numerous challenges. These included selecting a construction company willing to undertake the complex design, obtaining construction permits to protect nearby railroad tunnels and adjacent buildings, and facing delays caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Additionally, new obstacles emerged in the form of supply chain issues and inflation.

The seven-story building finally opened to the public in February this year, showing off its glass exterior and an interior that incorporates curves throughout to capture the essence of Korean beauty.

The center is equipped with an exhibition hall and a 190-seat theater, a library, a cooking studio and a Korean-style garden.

A rendered image of "Hangeul Wall" (KCCNY)

Inside, one wall stretches unbroken from the ground floor to the top floor. In September, 20,000 colorful tiles, each measuring three by three inches, will be installed on the wall. These tiles will not merely be decorative; each one will feature a Hangeul character from sentences and names submitted by individuals. The Hangeul project, led by artist Kang Ik-joong and hosted on a website created by LG Electronics, has garnered over 6.9 million views worldwide since its launch in May.

One thousand submissions will be selected through public voting and an artist review for the Hangeul Wall. After a three-month production and installation period, the Hangeul Wall, measuring 8 by 22 meters, will be unveiled right before Hangeul Day which falls on Oct. 9, celebrating Hangeul's cultural heritage.

"The wall will become the world's largest Hangeul wall and a 'Wall of Wisdom,' with participation from people all over the world,” Kim said. “Using Hangeul is something I wanted to do the most because Hangeul is our most precious cultural and spiritual asset, enabling Koreans to be Korean and making K-Art and K-Culture possible,” Kim noted.

At Cheil Communications, Kim led the company's global businesses in the 1990s and the 2000s, helping build the brand image of Samsung. At CJ LiveCity, he led the development of the company's K-content theme park for four years from 2017.

"I thought I could apply my work experience to help design a differentiated Korean experience within the cultural center. The purpose of this experience is to enhance the South Korea brand and elevate the nation's prestige. I hope that not only New Yorkers but also the 80 million tourists who visit New York will visit the Korean Cultural Center New York and, afterward, feel inspired to visit Korea," Kim said.

"Being in New York has advantages. I also hope the New York center becomes a launching pad for Korean artists, creators and investors who want to stand tall in the global market," he added.

Kim Cheon-soo, executive director of the Korean Cultural Center New York, speaks about the design of the new Korean Center, on April 26 at the Korean Cultural Center New York in New York. (Park Ga-young/The Korea Herald)

By Park Ga-young(gypark@heraldcorp.com)