Bonjour, good afternoon. Je m’appelle Lee Hwawon. My name is Lee Hwawon. I am currently the President of the Korean Association of Theatre Critics.

My journey with the International Association of Theatre Critics(AICT/IATC) began at the Young Critics Seminar in Amsterdam in 2000. Since then, I have presented papers at conferences in Singapore, Beijing, the online conference during the pandemic, Brno, and Bangkok in 2025. When the General Assembly held in Korea under the leadership of Honorary President Kim Yun-Cheol in 2006, I had the privilege of coordinating the Young Critics’ Seminar. Over two decades with the AITC/IATC, I could broaden my own critical perspective and introduce Korean theatre to the world. As we approach 2026, I believe it is time for the Korean Association to take a more active role in the AITC/IATC, including contributing to the Executive Committee.

In this rapidly changing era of media and artificial intelligence, theatre should not see itself as being in crisis, but as ready for renewal. In Korea, a vibrant new generation of theatre artists is actively reshaping the field. If elected to the Executive Committee, I will work to host a future Young Critics’ Seminar and/or an international conference in Korea, creating dynamic platforms for theatre professionals worldwide and contributing to the continued growth and global development of theatre arts.

In my university years, I worked closely with madanggeuk, rooted in Korea’s traditional performing arts. Later,I specialized in the French classical dramatist Jean Racine, conducting research and teaching at the University of Minnesota in the United States for 8 years. After, I served as a professor in the Department of Theatre at Sangmyung University in Korea until 2023. As someone fluent in the Association’s two official languages, I believe I can help facilitate communication and understanding across cultures.

Thank you. Merci mille fois.