KB News Desk
Chang Han-na, cello prodigy-turned-conductor is wealthiest head of state-run culture institutions
Chang Han-na, president and CEO of Seoul Arts Center Korea, has disclosed ownership of a rare cello valued at 1.37 billion won ($940,000), according to a government asset filing released Friday.
Her cello was reportedly made by celebrated Italian luthier Giovanni Battista Guadagnini in 1757. It was purchased and presented to Chang in 1995 by South Korean corporate sponsors and arts patrons after her victory at the Rostropovich International Cello Competition at age 11.
The instrument, together with its bow, was listed among the 43-year-old’s reported assets of 7.82 billion won, making her the wealthiest head of a Culture Ministry-affiliated institution included in the latest disclosure by the government’s public ethics committee.
The filing also listed a Steinway piano valued at 134 million won.
Chang’s declared assets also include an apartment in Gangnam valued at 1.28 billion won, a residence in California worth 653 million won, bank deposits totaling 2.78 billion won, and securities valued at 1.74 billion won.
In recent years, the internationally acclaimed cellist has built a parallel career as an orchestra conductor before taking office as the head of the SAC, Seoul’s major arts center, in April, for a three-year term.
The disclosure is part of the mandatory public asset reporting system for senior government officials and executives of public institutions, which is intended to promote transparency and prevent conflicts of interest.
