** THIS EVENT HAS BEEN RESCHEDULED FOR JANUARY 23, 2025 **

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As part of a Global Korea Project initiative, Dr. Kyung-wha Kang joins us at Boston College to discuss global challenges and Asian leadership. Dr. Kang is President and CEO of the Asia Society, Senior Advisor on policy to the UN Secretary-General, and former Minister of Foreign Affairs of South Korea.

Event Description

Dr.Kang will be addressing the global challenges and Asian leadership through a conversational format. Kang will be answering both GKP and audience-generated questions.

Dr. Kang will be introduced by Dr. Fr. James Keenan, S.J., Vice Provost for Global Engagement, Canisius Professor in Theology, and Director of the Jesuit Institute. The conversation will be moderated by Dr. Erik Owens, Director of the International Studies Program, Director of the Global Ethics and Social Trust Program, and Professor of the Practice in Theology.

Dr. Kyung-wha Kang

Asia Society, United Nations

Dr. Kyung-wha Kang is an accomplished diplomat who served as South Korea’s 38th Minister of Foreign Affairs (2017 to 2021). She is the first woman appointed to this post in the nation’s history, endeavoring to garner global support for South Korea’s initiative to engage with North Korea toward lasting peace and complete denuclearization on the Korean Peninsula. She previously held key leadership roles at the United Nations, including as Deputy High Commissioner for Human Rights, Deputy Emergency Relief Coordinator and Assistant Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, and Senior Advisor on Policy to Secretary-General António Guterres.

Before joining the United Nations, Dr. Kang held various positions in South Korea’s Foreign Ministry, specializing in multilateral affairs and intergovernmental organizations. Among others, she served as Minister at the Permanent Mission of the Republic of Korea to the United Nations, during which she chaired the 48th and 49th sessions of the UN Commission on the Status of Women. Additionally, she spearheaded efforts to highlight women with disabilities in the drafting of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.

Dr. Kang graduated from Yonsei University in Korea with a BA in political science and diplomacy and holds an MA and PhD from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. Her doctorate research as in the field of international and intercultural communication. Dr. Kang served as a Distinguished Professor Emeritus at Ewha Womans University and is a Distinguished Professor at the Institute for Global Engagement & Empowerment at Yonsei University.

Sponsors and Co-Sponsors

This event is sponsored by the Global Korea Project with the Morrissey College of Arts & Sciences Dean's Office, the Institute of Liberal Arts, the Office of Global Engagement, and the Asian American Studies Program. It is co-sponsored by the University Core Curriculum, International Studies program, Asian Studies program, the Department of Eastern, Slavic, and German Studies, the Asian Caucus, and the Korean Student Association.