Former Foreign Minister of the Republic of Korea, Dr Park Jin, will be giving a talk at Darwin on June 22nd from 4.00 to 5.30, exploring the importance of bridging the divide between the sciences and the social sciences and humanities. At a time when technological and scientific advances are transforming our lives, there is a strong argument for training public policy specialists, politicians and government officials in a wide range of areas of expertise. Dr Park brings his expertise as a professor at KAIST (the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology) and his long experience in government in South Korea, to highlight the opportunities for new, innovative cross-disciplinary collaborations both in South Korea and internationally.
About the Speaker
Dr Park Jin CBE served as the 40th Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Korea (2022–2024) and is currently a Senior Advisor at Kim & Chang law office and a Distinguished Invited Professor at KAIST, where he teaches “Science Diplomacy.”
He began his public career as a diplomat at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and later served as Presidential Secretary for Press Affairs and Secretary for Political Affairs under the Kim Young-sam administration (1993–1998). He was subsequently elected to the National Assembly, serving four terms (2002–2012 and 2020–2024) representing the Jongno and Gangnam districts of metropolitan Seoul.
During his legislative career he served on key committees including the National Defense Committee, the Intelligence Oversight Committee, and the Foreign Affairs, Trade and Unification Committee. As its Chairman (2008–2010), he led the passage of the ROK–US Free Trade Agreement, the Korea–EU FTA, and the North Korean Human Rights Act.
Dr Park holds an LL.B. from Seoul National University, an M.P.A. from the Harvard Kennedy School, an LL.M. from New York University School of Law, and a D.Phil. in Politics from St Antony’s College, University of Oxford.
Organised by the Faculty of Asian and Middle Eastern Studies and the Centre for Geopolitics, University of Cambridge
Registration 3:30 pm · Lecture 4:00–5:30 pm