SNU to renovate University Cultural Center with donation from HYBE chair, KCC I&C president

Seoul National University will start renovation and construction of its new University Cultural Center, which will be built using donations from HYBE chairman Bang Si-hyuk and the president of KCC Information & Communication (I&C).

A groundbreaking ceremony for the new center will be held on Thursday at 6 p.m., according to Seoul National University.

The University Cultural Center was built in 1984, and will be renovated to house various arts and culture-related facilities such as a 1,000-seat concert hall, a black box theater that seats 300, a gallery area and community space.

Construction is expected to finish around the second half of 2028.

The building will be built using a donation of 5 billion won ($3.68 million) from HYBE chairman Bang Si-hyuk in 2023 and another donation of 10 billion won made by KCC I&C President Lee Ju-yong and his wife in 2021.

The two donors have close ties with Seoul National University, with Lee enrolling in a bachelor's program at the university's Department of Sociology in 1953 before continuing his studies at the University of Michigan's Department of Economics in 1955. Bang graduated with a bachelor's from the university's Department of Aesthetics in 1997.

BY LEE TAE-HEE [lee.taehee2@joongang.co.kr]