A comeback rooted in responsibility: Chung Myung-whun returns to KBS Symphony Orchestra

The KBS Symphony Orchestra, South Korea’s only broadcasting ensemble, will begin a new chapter under conductor Chung Myung-whun, an appointment that comes at a pivotal moment as the orchestra celebrates its 70th anniversary next year.

The 72-year-old maestro will return as the orchestra’s 10th artistic director for a three-year term starting Jan. 1. It marks a return: Chung briefly served as the ensemble’s fifth artistic director in 1998.

The KBS Symphony Orchestra also holds personal significance for Chung. In a press conference in Seoul on Friday, Chung told reporters it was the first orchestra he led as a conductor in Korea after returning to the country at the age of 19, following living abroad with his family from the age of eight.

On June 17, 1972, he took the stage alongside his sister, cellist Chung Myung-wha, conducting Haydn’s Cello Concerto in C major and Tchaikovsky’s “Variations on a Rococo Theme” before an audience of more than 3,000.

Over the decades, Chung has frequently taken the KBS podium, making it one of the few orchestras he continues to work with repeatedly.

“After working with orchestras around the world, I’ve spent the past two or three decades gradually letting go of what I once believed to be professionally essential,” Chung said. “What has remained closest to me — what I cherish the most — are the orchestras I continue to return to.”

Chung will also assume the role of artistic director at the La Scala Orchestra in Milan from 2027, where he has formed a deep musical bond with the musicians over more than 34 years.

Although he feels it is too late in his career to take on a music director role, he found himself unable to decline either La Scala or the KBS Symphony Orchestra.

“When I was first offered the role with the KBS Symphony Orchestra, I felt it was already too late, as much as it felt like it was too early to lead the Paris Opera,” he said. Chung became music director of the Paris Opera in 1989, at just 36, and held the post until 1994.

When it comes to the KBS Symphony Orchestra, Chung spoke of responsibility — toward the orchestra and toward the country. He emphasized that his goal as a music director is quite different from the past when he took the role of the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra, which he led from 2006 to 2015.

“When I first took on the Seoul Philharmonic about 20 years ago, the goal was absolutely clear — it was like preparing for the Olympics,” he said. “But it’s very different now.”

"In the history of music, an orchestra may be the largest and most beautiful instrument of all. The fact that one hundred musicians can come together and play with a single shared intention is something truly unique. That is precisely why the sense of responsibility is even greater," Chung added.

“(For both La Scala and KBS Symphony) decisions about what to do and which programs to present are things the people in charge will work out together,” Chung said. “What I can do is simple: love the musicians, support them, help them open their hearts a little more, and remind them how meaningful and beautiful orchestral work truly is because playing in an orchestra is, in fact, very demanding work.”

Chung's appointment coincides with the KBS Symphony Orchestra's preparations for its 70th anniversary.

Outlining four visions for 2026, Lee Seung-hwan, CEO of the KBS Symphony Orchestra, said the appointment of Chung would reinforce the orchestra’s identity and deepen its engagement with the global music community.

Four visions include strengthening the orchestra’s core repertoire to clarify its artistic direction and developing 70th-anniversary content that captures how the ensemble has evolved alongside the public through performance, broadcasting and its social role.

They also include expanding public programs nationwide to reach communities with limited access to classical music, and reinforcing digital platforms and international cooperation to engage younger audiences and strengthen ties with public broadcasting orchestras worldwide.