Kim Yun-cheol, president of the International Association of Theatre Critics, has been named new artistic director of the National Theater Company of Korea, the culture ministry announced Monday.

Kim, 65, will serve three years starting from Feb. 4, the ministry said.

A graduate of Seoul National University, the new director has a long career in the academic study of theater plays. He has been teaching at Korea National University of Arts since 1994, after a stint at Sejong University’s department of English language and literature.

He has been leading the international association of theater critics since 2008 and served from 2013 as the president of the Korea National Archives of the Arts.

The culture ministry also announced the appointment of Kang Sue-jin, arguably the country’s most renowned ballerina, as the new artistic director of the national ballet troupe.

The 46-year-old will start her three-year term at the Korea National Ballet from Tuesday, replacing Choi Tae-ji, who held the post for six years.

The prima ballerina is one of the principals of Germany’s Stuttgart Ballet. She has won numerous prestigious awards, including the Prix de Lausanne in 1985 and the Prix Benois de la Danse in 1999.

By Lee Sun-young (milaya@heraldcorp.com)