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Director for PyeongChang Winter Olympics ceremonies vows to expand cultural influence

The creative chief of the opening and closing ceremonies for the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics said Monday he will try to stage shows that can help expand the country's cultural influence.

Song Seung-whan, actor-turned-director and head of a local production firm, was named earlier in July as the executive creative director of the ceremonies at South Korea's first Winter Games. Meeting the press for the first time Monday, Song said he will embrace what he thinks will be the biggest challenge of his career.

"My whole life has been about taking on new tasks," Song said.

"And this will be bigger than any program I've worked on, with the national prestige at stake. It will be a great opportunity to promote our country around the world."

Song, 58, began his career as an actor in television and theater and has carved out a successful second career in directing.

In 1997, Song created the popular non-verbal performance "Nanta," the longest-running show in the country, which topped 10 million in attendance earlier this year.

Song said he hasn't yet come up with concrete plans for the ceremonies but will need "four to five months of brainstorming" with other artists. He did say, however, that he wants to do something different than the ceremonies at previous international events in South Korea.

"We've hosted many international events, and I think we've tried too hard to present something that's distinctively ours," Song said. "I think in PyeongChang, we should create contents that people around the world can relate to and that also show the audience what makes us special."

Song acknowledged he was aware of criticism that he lacks experience in staging events on par with Olympic ceremonies in scale. The director, though, chose to look on the brighter side.

"I may not have experience, but at the same time, my ideas can be fresh, creative and daring," he said. "People with experience might be trapped in stereotypes and might not have the necessary creativity or imagination."

Song also said he is more than willing to delegate responsibilities and work closely with other artists who do have experience.

"My plan is to build a team of producers to handle music, choreography and other areas," he added. "If one person tries to do it all, things can go awry at big events like these."

Song said he had committed to starring in a television series before taking on the PyeongChang role, and he's also in the midst of planning a new musical. The TV show is set to end next February, and Song said it will be his last acting job before PyeongChang.

"I plan to keep other activities to a minimum afterward," he added. "By 2017 at the latest, I will be focusing strictly on the PyeongChang Winter Games' ceremonies." (Yonhap)