[Profile] Kim Seong-han Appointed as Director of National Security Office... 'Leading Yoon's Foreign and Security Policy Formation'

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Ki-min Lee] Kim Seong-han, a professor at Korea University's Graduate School of International Studies, who is a childhood friend of President-elect Yoon Seok-yeol and a secretary of the transition committee's foreign and security division, has been nominated as the first National Security Office chief of the new Yoon administration.

After Yoon resigned from his position as Prosecutor General, Kim served as a foreign and security advisor, drafting the blueprint for a comprehensive security concept linking defense, diplomacy, and economy, as well as strengthening a comprehensive strategic alliance.

Kim graduated from Korea University with a degree in English Literature, earned a master's degree in Political Science and Diplomacy from Korea University, and obtained a Ph.D. in Political Science from the University of Texas at Austin.

He has worked in the field of international political science for 30 years, researching U.S. foreign policy and international security, and has served as dean of Korea University's Graduate School of International Studies and director of the Ilmin Institute of International Relations at Korea University.

In addition to his academic activities, he has participated in the formulation of government foreign and security policies. During the Lee Myung-bak administration, he served as a presidential foreign and security advisor, a member of the Presidential Committee for Defense Advancement, and was the 2nd Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade from 2012 to 2013.

Notably, during President-elect Yoon's first phone call with U.S. President Joe Biden, the use of Kim's personal mobile phone became a topic of interest.

Jang Je-won, the chief secretary to the president-elect, introduced him at a briefing on the 1st, saying, "He is an authority in the field of foreign and security affairs, possessing not only theoretical knowledge but also comprehensive capabilities in policy formulation and execution."

▲ Seoul (62) ▲ Seoul National University High School ▲ Korea University, Department of English Language and Literature ▲ Korea University, Master's in Political Science and Diplomacy ▲ University of Texas at Austin, Ph.D. in Political Science ▲ Professor at the Institute of Foreign Affairs and National Security ▲ Professor at Korea University's Graduate School of International Studies ▲ Presidential Foreign and Security Advisor ▲ 2nd Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade ▲ Chair of the Korean Committee of the Council for Security Cooperation in the Asia Pacific (CSCAP) ▲ Director of the Ilmin Institute of International Relations at Korea University ▲ Dean of Korea University's Graduate School of International Studies ▲ Head of Korea University's International Studies Department

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