Taipei: The Ministry of Culture announced on Wednesday that Chiang Chun-nan, a seasoned media professional and former deputy secretary-general of the National Security Council (NSC), has been appointed as the chairman of the state-funded Central News Agency (CNA).

According to Focus Taiwan, Chiang has been serving as a vice president of the National Cultural Association of Taiwan since March 2017. This organization, traditionally led by the president, underwent rebranding from the General Association of Chinese Culture in March 2026.

Chiang, who is 82 years old, embarked on his journalism career during a period of authoritarian rule in Taiwan. He co-founded several media outlets, including "The Eighties," during Taiwan's democratic transition. Notably, he also established the Taipei Times, a sister publication of the Liberty Times. Known to English-speaking audiences as Antonio Chiang, he entered public service in 2000, serving under then-President Chen Shui-bian as deputy secretary-general of the NSC until 2004.

Chiang later returned to journalism as a political columnist for the now-closed Apple Daily. In 2016, he was appointed by then-President Tsai Ing-wen as the representative to Singapore. However, he resigned before assuming the position due to a drunk driving incident.

The Ministry of Culture, which oversees CNA, stated in a press release that the appointments of Chiang and the new board have been ratified by the Executive Yuan in compliance with the CNA Establishment Act. Chiang will take over from Lee Yung-te, who began his term in July 2023.

The newly appointed board consists of 15 directors, including Hung Chen-ling, a professor at National Taiwan University's Graduate Institute of Journalism, and Tsai Tsung-lung, an associate professor at National Chung Cheng University's Department of Communication. The Executive Yuan also appointed five supervisors, such as Wu Chii-wen, former vice president of the National Institute of Cyber Security, and Kenneth Huang-chuan Chiu, managing partner of Kew and Lord.

With the current board's term concluding next Tuesday, CNA is preparing for a handover ceremony to facilitate the leadership transition, as stated in the release.