Kang Sue-jin, artistic director and CEO of the Korean National Ballet (KNB), will retire in April after completing a 12-year tenure, the KNB said Thursday. A former principal of the Stuttgart Ballet, one of the most prestigious ballet companies in Germany, Kang is widely credited for successfully leading the KNB during her tenure, which began in February 2014. Under her leadership, the KNB expanded its repertoire, embracing works from neoclassical to contemporary ballet, and deepened its commitment to dancer development through the KNB Movement Series. Following her retirement, she will join Seoul Cyber University as a faculty member. Reflecting on her time with the KNB, Kang described it as "the happiest time" of her life and pledged to "serve as a mentor for future generations across society and repay the love I have received as an artist," the KNB quoted her as saying.