Kim Eui-joon, former chief of the Korea National Opera, took office Wednesday as CEO of Lotte Hall, a classical concert hall being built in Jamsil, Seoul, by the eponymous conglomerate.

Kim, 64, filled a seat left vacated for nearly a year by the death of Kim Joo-ho last May.

“On May 7, Kim officially began his term as CEO of Lotte Hall,” Lotte Group said in a statement.

“Lotte Group will set up a non-profit cultural foundation which will be tasked with the hall’s management,” it said.

Kim has 30 years of experience in arts management, including stints as CEO of LG Arts Center, a multi-purpose cultural complex owned by LG Group in southern Seoul, from 1996-2010, and as general director of the state-run opera company from 2011-2014.

A 124 billion won ($120 million) project, Lotte Hall (a tentative name) is envisioned as one of the biggest classical concert halls in Korea with seated capacity of over 2,000 and state-of-the-art sound facilities. It is slated to open in September.

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