Seoul: Chae Hwi-young has been nominated as the first minister of culture, sports and tourism under President Lee Jae Myung. Known for his expertise in information technology and tourism, Chae previously served as CEO of NHN, one of South Korea's largest online portals. Currently, he is the co-CEO of Nol Universe, a travel and online ticketing platform.
According to Yonhap News Agency, the presidential office has cited Chae's extensive experience in managing online portals and leading various culture- and tourism-related ventures as key qualifications for his nomination. This aligns with President Lee's vision to elevate the Korean pop culture market to a value of 300 trillion won (US$217.975 billion).
Born in Busan in 1964, Chae spent his early years in Seoul and earned a degree in English Language and Literature from Sogang University. His career began in 1991 as a reporter for Yonhap News Agency and YTN. In 2000, he joined Yahoo Korea, where he played a key role in launching its portal news service.
In 2002, Chae moved to NHN, where he served as head of the Naver Headquarters Planning Office and later became the company's CEO. He founded Triple, a hyper-personalized travel platform, in 2016. In 2022, he was appointed CEO of Interpark and led its merger with Yanolja Platform. Last year, he became co-CEO of Nol Universe, the merged entity of Yanolja Platform and Interpark Triple, creating a comprehensive travel and culture-leisure service provider.