Dr. CHOI Jong Kun is Professor at the Department of Political Science and International Studies at Yonsei University. He is an academic and former government official with an extensive background in international relations theory, particularly in the context of Northeast Asia. In addition to his academic career, Professor CHOI has an extensive record of public service. From July 2017 to August 2020, he served in the Blue House under President Moon Jae-in as Secretary for Peace & Arms Control and later as Secretary for Peace Planning. In August 2020, Dr. CHOI was appointed South Korea’s First Vice Minister of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, becoming both the first civilian and the youngest person to hold that post. He concluded his vice-ministerial service in May 2022 at the close of the Moon Jae-in administration and returned to his professorship at Yonsei University. Recognized for his outstanding teaching, he received the Best Teaching Professor Award from the College of Social Sciences in 2023, 2024 and 2025, and was also named Professor of the Year by the Student Council of the Graduate School of Public Administration in 2024.