Veteran journalist, former NSC official named CNA chairman: Ministry

Taipei, June 24 (CNA) The Ministry of Culture on Wednesday announced Chiang Chun-nan (江春男), a media veteran and former National Security Council (NSC) deputy secretary-general, has been named chairman of the state-funded Central News Agency (CNA).

Chiang has served since March 2017 as a vice president of the National Cultural Association of Taiwan, a government-funded, traditionally president-led cultural organization that in March 2026 was rebranded from the General Association of Chinese Culture.

Now 82, Chiang began his journalism career under authoritarian rule, co-founding several media publications, including "The Eighties (八十年代)," during Taiwan's transition to democracy. He was also the founder of the Taipei Times, the sister newspaper of the Liberty Times.

Better known to English readers as Antonio Chiang, he transitioned into public service following Taiwan's first transfer of power in 2000, serving as deputy secretary-general of the NSC until 2004 under then President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁).

Chiang then returned to the media as a political columnist, writing primarily for the now-defunct Apple Daily. In 2016, then President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) appointed him representative to Singapore, but he resigned before taking office following a drunk driving incident.

The Ministry of Culture, the supervising authority of the CNA, announced in a press release that the appointments of Chiang and the new board have been approved by the Executive Yuan in accordance with the CNA Establishment Act.

Chiang will succeed Lee Yung-te (李永得), who began his three-year term in July 2023.

The new board of 15 directors appointed by the Executive Yuan included Hung Chen-ling (洪貞玲), a professor of National Taiwan University's Graduate Institute of Journalism and Tsai Tsung-lung (蔡崇隆), an associate professor of National Chung Cheng University's Department of Communication, according to the news release.

Meanwhile, the Executive Yuan also appointed five supervisors, including Wu Chii-wen (吳啟文), former vice president of the National Institute of Cyber Security, and Kenneth Huang-chuan Chiu (邱晃泉), managing partner of Kew & Lord, who is an incumbent supervisor.

With the current board's term ending Tuesday next week, CNA will soon hold a handover ceremony to mark the transition, according to the release.