National Diplomatic Academy Hosts Webinar on Geopolitical Competition and the Role of Multilateralism Post-Pandemic

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] The Korea National Diplomatic Academy will hold a webinar titled "The World After the Pandemic: Geopolitical Competition and the Role of Multilateralism" from August 31 to September 1 as part of the '2020 Institute of Foreign Affairs and National Security International Affairs Conference.'

The Institute of Foreign Affairs and National Security at the Korea National Diplomatic Academy is focusing on the intensification of geopolitical competition in the era of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19) pandemic, the spread of international debates questioning the usefulness of multilateralism, and the potential impact of the upcoming U.S. presidential election in just over two months on the world order and U.S.-China competition. In this conference, the trends of U.S.-China competition after the pandemic and the role of multilateralism in response will be assessed, and the policy direction of South Korea as a middle power in the process of rebuilding multilateralism, which has emerged as an international issue, will be discussed.

The conference will begin with a keynote speech by Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha, followed by Session 1 (Topic: Reconstruction of the World Order After the Pandemic and the Restoration of the Role of Multilateralism) and Session 2 (Topic: Beyond Geopolitics: South Korea's Role in the Reorganization of Multilateralism).

Session 1 will be moderated by Kim Jun-hyung, President of the Korea National Diplomatic Academy. Panelists include John Ikenberry, a renowned theorist of the liberal international order and professor at Princeton University, USA; Amitav Acharya, professor at American University, USA, who has advocated alternatives to the international order from an Asian perspective; Tanja A. B?rzel, professor at the Free University of Berlin, Germany, who has focused on the past and future of European integration; Marty Natalegawa, former Minister of Foreign Affairs of Indonesia and a distinguished diplomat representing ASEAN; and Choi Woo-sun, a leading expert on U.S.-China relations and professor at the Korea National Diplomatic Academy.

Session 2 will be moderated by Oh Young-joo, Director of the Institute of Foreign Affairs and National Security. Top experts on multilateral diplomacy, including Lee Shin-hwa, professor at Korea University; Lee Seung-joo, professor at Chung-Ang University; Jung Chul, senior research fellow at the Korea Institute for International Economic Policy; Ham Sang-wook, Multilateral Diplomacy Coordinator at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs; and Kim Tae-hwan, professor at the Korea National Diplomatic Academy, will participate as panelists to conduct in-depth discussions on expanding South Korea's role as a middle power and international cooperation measures amid the changing international order.

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