President, Korea Foundation for Advanced Studies (KFAS) Chair
Mr. Park In-kook is President of the Korea Foundation for Advanced
Studies(KFAS). He also currently teaches at the Graduate School of
International Studies, Korea University as a visiting professor.
Prior to joining KFAS, Mr. Park served as a career diplomat for the Korean
Ministry of Foreign Affairs from 1978 to 2011. He has served as Ambassador
and Permanent Representative of the Republic of Korea to the United Nations
(2008-2011), and has previously served as the Ambassador to Geneva and
Kuwait. He has also served in the United States, in Brussels (at the Republic
of Korea’s Mission to the EU), and in Saudi Arabia. At the headquarters of
the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, he served as Director of the United Nations
Division II, Director of the Disarmament and Nuclear Energy Division,
Deputy Minister for Policy Planning and International Organizations (2006),
and Deputy Foreign Minister for multilateral and global issues (2007). Between
2002 and 2003, he was Secretary to the President of the Republic of Korea for
International Security.
His other ambassadorial roles have included serving as President of the
Geneva Conference on Disarmament (2004), Chairman of the 2nd Committee
of the UN General Assembly (2009-2010), and Co-Chair of the Preparatory
Committee for the UN Conference on Sustainable Development (Rio+20
UN Environment Summit in 2012). He holds a Bachelor’s degree from the
Department of Chinese Language and Literature and a Master’s degree from
the Graduate School of Law at Seoul National University.
