Actor Lee Won-jong
The appointment of actor Lee Won-jong, who had been mentioned for the presidency of the Korea Creative Content Agency, was ultimately deemed ineligible.
An official at the agency said, “On the 10th, screening was conducted on the 3 to 5 final candidates, including actor Lee Won-jong,” and added, “At the screening that day, all candidates, including Lee Won-jong, were eliminated.” The candidates mentioned that day were reportedly Lee Won-jong as well as figures from broadcasters and production companies.
Earlier, 32 people submitted documents in the first round for the new president of the Korea Creative Content Agency. Interviews were then conducted for the 3 to 5 who passed screening. In other words, candidates including Lee Won-jong advanced to the final review. However, the evaluation of the candidates appears not to have met the appointment criteria.
The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism is reportedly set to reopen the recruitment to appoint the president of the Korea Creative Content Agency soon.
As speculation that actor Lee Won-jong was a candidate for the new president of the Korea Creative Content Agency surged a few weeks ago, some floated claims of his closeness to President Lee Jae Myung, and criticism that it was a “reward appointment that crossed the line” rapidly gained momentum.
They have continued to criticize Lee Won-jong, advancing a narrative that he lacks the expertise to lead a public institution that spends 600 billion won annually.
The Korea Creative Content Agency is an agency under the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism that supports popular culture; the term of the presidency is three years, and to date there has been no precedent of an actor serving as president．
Meanwhile, Lee Won-jong built his reputation as a stage actor and debuted in 1999 with the film ‘No Holds Barred’. He later solidified his acting career by playing roles such as Guma-jeok in the drama ‘Rustic Period’.
Lee Won-jong has consistently taken part in campaign rallies in support of President Lee Jae Myung since his time as mayor of Seongnam. The prevailing assessment of Lee Won-jong is that he is “Lee Jae Myung to the bone.”
