SOHN Injoo

Professor of Political Science & International Relations, Seoul National University / Associate Professor with tenure, University of Hong Kong

SOHN Injoo
Times of the Remarks 2024. 11. 12. 10:00-10:55
Title Research Findings 1 - Strategies for Flourishing in a Shrinking Society: Conditions for Ensuring Attractiveness as a Country

What are the implications of China’s rise for the U.S.-led global order? Does the strategic rivalry between China and the US pose challenges for Korea or present opportunities? In this session, professor SOHN Injoo stresses the importance of practical idealism in seeking the answers to these questions. The voices we need in such volatile times, amid the clashes between global powers, are not those of the impractical dreamers, but those of intellectuals who possess a practical flexibility rooted in scholarly and moral principles. Professor SOHN has conducted research in the United States and Hong Kong for two decades. As an expert on Chinese politics and diplomacy and international political economy, he served as a consultant for UNCTAD (United Nations Conference on Trade and Development) and was a postdoctoral fellow at Princeton University, CEAP visiting fellow at the Brookings Institution, and assistant and associate professor (with tenure) at the University of Hong Kong. Upon returning to Korea, he served as director of the Institute for China Studies at Seoul National University and the inaugural vice director as well as head of the Global Korea Cluster at the Institute for Future Strategy, Seoul National University. Drawing on his international experience and expertise, he is working to contribute to the development of a future vision and strategy for Korea.


[Session Title and Description]

How Korea Can Become a Network-Based Global Power After The U.S. Presidential Elections

Recent changes in the global order are demanding a shift in paradigms across almost all sectors, from diplomacy and security to economics and science & technology. A new national vision and strategy are needed in light of such changes. Fueled by an enterprising readiness to take on whatever challenges lay ahead, Korea wrote a dynamic growth story that took it from a peripheral East Asian neighbor to a country at the center of the global stage. Now is the time for Korea to devise national strategies that take initiative commensurate with its global standing and national power. In the short term, a proactive strategy to respond to developments in the U.S.-China strategic rivalry following the upcoming U.S. presidential elections is key. In the mid- to long-term, Korea must become a global power that combines strength with inclusiveness on the back of an unparalleled “open network.” This session aims to offer the knowledge that can help rise to the challenge and propel us forward on our bold journey to get there.