Veteran actor Namgung Won was elected the president of the 25th chapter of the Motion Pictures Association of Korea at its annual board meeting on Tuesday.

Namgung is slated to serve in the post for three years.

“As someone who has spent almost his whole life as an actor, I want to dedicate the rest of my life to the preservation, rights and development of films,” said the actor.

The 78-year-old Namgung, whose real name is Hong Kyung-il, made his acting debut in 1958 while still a college student, with “When the Night Comes Again.” He has since appeared in more than 300 films and has won numerous awards including two Grand Bell Best Actor Awards, in 1973 and 1981.

By Julie Jackson (juliejackson@heraldcorp.com)