Seoul Arts Center President Chang Han-na Reports $5.62M in Assets, Headlined by 18th-Century Guadagnini Cello
Key Takeaways
- •Chang Han-na disclosed assets of 7.817 billion won, the highest total among six culture agency heads in the latest filing.
- •Her assets include 1.93 billion won in real estate, 2.78 billion won in deposits, 1.74 billion won in securities and 1.5 billion won in antiques and artworks.
- •Chang’s stock holdings are all overseas-listed shares, including Nvidia, Apple, Meta Platforms, Alphabet, Microsoft and Tesla.
- •Her musical instruments include a cello and bow valued at 1.37 billion won and a Steinway grand piano worth 133.75 million won.
- •Other disclosed asset totals included 2.24 billion won for Kim Kyung-bae, 1.94 billion won for Jeon Woo-yong and 1.46 billion won for Yoo Mi-jung.
Cellist and conductor Chang Han-na, president of the Seoul Arts Center, has disclosed total assets of 7.82 billion won (approximately $5.62 million), making her the wealthiest among the six agency heads under the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism included in the latest round of public official asset filings.
The filings are part of South Korea's public ethics disclosure system, which requires senior public officials and heads of certain public institutions to report assets for transparency and conflict-of-interest oversight. The disclosures typically list categories such as real estate, deposits, securities, and valuables including artworks or antiques.
According to the Government Public Ethics Committee's disclosure released Thursday, Chang reported assets of 7.817 billion won. Her holdings span 1.93 billion won in real estate, 2.78 billion won in bank deposits, 1.74 billion won in securities, and 1.5 billion won in antiques and artworks.
Her real estate includes an apartment in Yeoksam-dong, Seoul, valued at 1.28 billion won, and a stake in a detached house in Pomona, New York, worth 653.49 million won. She also reported over 2.7 billion won in deposits across domestic and overseas financial institutions.
Chang's securities portfolio consists entirely of overseas-listed stocks held in her name, including 2,450 shares of Nvidia, along with shares in Apple, Meta Platforms, Alphabet, Microsoft, and Tesla.
Among her most notable holdings are musical instruments: a cello and bow valued at 1.37 billion won and a Steinway grand piano worth 133.75 million won. The cello is widely reported to be a 1757 Giovanni Battista Guadagnini, one of the world's most prized Italian-made instruments. Chang acquired it after winning the Rostropovich International Cello Competition at age 11.
Among the other culture agency heads covered in the disclosure, Korea Craft & Design Foundation President Kim Kyung-bae reported 2.24 billion won in assets. King Sejong Institute Foundation President Jeon Woo-yong disclosed 1.94 billion won, Korea National Symphony Orchestra CEO Yoo Mi-jung reported 1.46 billion won, and Publication Industry Promotion Agency of Korea President Kim Seung-soo reported 612.62 million won.
This article was originally published by the Hankook Ilbo, the sister publication of The Korea Times, and was translated using a generative AI system and edited by The Korea Times.