A chair professor at Halla University and the Representative of the Halla University Northeast Asian Economic Research Institute(HINER). After graduating from the Department of Political Science at Seoul National University, he started his public career at the Ministry of National Unification and worked at the Prime Minister's Office, the Embassy of Norway, and the Presidential Secretariat. He served as Presidential Secretary for unification, Standing Representative for South-North Dialogue of Unification Ministry, and the 14th Vice Minister of Unification. After serving in public office, he served as President & CEO of Hyundai Asan Corporation of Hyundai Group. He earned a master's degree in North Korean studies and a doctorate in political science from Kyungnam University.