Yoo must show direction as minister

"To be or not to be" is no longer the question for Yoo In-chon, a former drama actor whose favorite lines are from Hamlet's soliloquy. He has now been chosen as the culture minister of the Lee Myung-bak administration, confirming expectations. Now the real question is whether he will become a competent one.

The biggest question mark is over his background, which is deeply entrenched in acting on stage and screen, and not in the administration and implementation of government policies.

Yoo has long built up his name in drama, musicals and television since his debut in 1973, and his acting career laid the key foundation for his rise to one of the top government jobs.

Yoo's relationship with President-elect Lee Myung-bak started in the 1990s when he played Lee's character in a television drama titled "Yamang-ui saewol (Years of Ambition)". Afterwards, their friendship deepened to the extent that Yoo is now regarded as one of Lee's key confidants.

When Lee served as mayor of Seoul, a peculiar development confirmed their special relationship. Even though Yoo did not apply for the president of the city-run Seoul Foundation for Arts and Culture, Lee appointed him the post anyway, provoking complaints from the public

In addition, Yoo also worked for the Lee Myung-bak camp during the presidential campaign last December, fueling rumors that the 57-year-old actor would become the No. 1 candidate for culture minister if Lee was elected.

It is too early to discredit Yoo's potential as an administrator. He has long been running his own theater group, and his stint as president of an arts foundation also adds to his administrative credentials. He is currently a professor at ChungAng University, testifying to his expertise in art and entertainment. His public image is also largely positive, thanks to his hosting of a KBS documentary in the late 1990s that helped boost his credibility.

But his lifelong passion has been "Hamlet", a masterpiece of Shakespeare. Yoo, whose email address starts with "hamlet2005", played the tragic character five times, and he said he still remembers the key lines. Whenever asked about his ambition to become a culture minister, he said, "I do not have an ambition to serve as culture minister, but I do really want to play Hamlet again before I retire".

After the presidential election, Yoo distanced himself from President-elect Lee, in sharp contrast to other politicians who were eager to secure posts in the incoming administration.

Instead of cementing his position in relation with Lee, Yoo walked through the streets of Seoul. Yoo, fondly called a "walkaholic", was keen to draw up what he calls a "Seoul culture map", and he used his longstanding habit of walking to protect himself from public scrutiny.

But Yoo cannot walk away from the tasks he faces as a culture minister. The immediate challenge is to clear skeptical views about the nomination itself. When President Roh Moo-hyun appointed Lee Chang-dong, a popular filmmaker, as his first culture minister, it ignited a storm of criticism about Roh's personnel management style. Many claimed he disregarded professionalism in favor of personal ties. Yoo faces the same problem.

A bigger challenge comes from the new identity of the Culture and Tourism Ministry. According to Lee's blueprint, the ministry will grow much bigger, taking over the government's public relations operations and some functions of the Information and Communication Ministry.

Yoo must also deal with, among many other policy issues, the protection of cultural assets following the arson attack that destroyed Namdaemun, Korea's National Treasure No. 1. In addition, he has to streamline the policy agenda for sports, the media and tourism -- three important areas in which he does not have much experience but will have to lead as culture minister.

Yoo does not have to worry about philosophical questions as an actor playing Hamlet; however, as culture minister, he has many practical policy questions he has to answer.

By Yang Sung-jin

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