July 26, 2024 - The Asia Foundation announced the appointment of Dr. Kyungjin Song as a new Country Representative, Korea beginning on July 29, 2024. She is the first Korean and the first female Country Representative for Korea in The Asia Foundation’s 70-year history.

Dr. Song plans to strengthen the strategic partnership between The Asia Foundation and Korea in response to Korea's elevated national status and the international community's expectations of Korea.

Over the past 70 years, The Asia Foundation has significantly contributed to establishing institution building, human resources development, and consolidating democracy in Korea through various projects since the Korean War.

Dr. Song stated that she aims to "enhance strategic cooperation, expecting the leadership of Korea's public and private sectors for the prosperity and peace of Asia and the Pacific through development and expanded opportunities."

Dr. Song is a member of the Advisory Committee of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs with a special focus on economic diplomacy. She also is Korea’s coordinator for the Korea-India Strategic Dialogue in the Seoul Forum for International Affairs and Vice President of the Association of Korean Economic Studies. She served as Director of the Global Issues Center of the Financial News, Seoul, from 2019-2021; and President of the Institute for Global Economics in Seoul from 2012-2018. Dr. Song held senior positions in the Office of the President from 2009-2012 and served as Foreign Press Spokesperson of Korea’s Ministry of Finance and Economy from 2004-2008.  She has been honored with awards from the JoongAng Media Group and the German Chamber of Commerce, Korea. She has written extensively on economic policy, international relations, gender equality, and youth and gender issues for several of Korea’s leading newspapers as well as the Financial Times, Wall Street Journal, and People’s Daily.

Dr. Song was deeply involved with the G20 Summit in Seoul in 2009-11, having served as Chief Secretary and Special Advisor to the Chairman of the Presidential Committee for the Summit and as Chief Editor of the G20 White Paper. For these endeavors, she was honored with the Republic of Korea Government’s Order of Civil Service Merit. Also, throughout her career, she has organized multiple international and local conferences in Korea and represented her government and national organizations in convenings throughout the world.

Dr. Song has a BA in English Language from Hankuk University of Foreign Studies, Med in Bilingual/Bicultural Education from Boston University and a Ph.D. in Communication Studies from the University of Kansas.

- Key Experience of Dr. Song -

•  Former Foreign Press Spokesperson, Ministry of Finance and Economy
•  Former Special Advisor to the Chairman of the Presidential Committee for G20 Seoul   Summit, Office of the President (OOTP) (Also, Chief Editor of the G20 White Paper)
•  Former Chief Secretary to the President's Economic Advisor, OOTP 
•  Former President & VP, Institute for Global Economics
•  Member of the Advisory Committee to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of ROK
   Korean Coordinator, The Korea-India Strategic Dialogue 
•  Vice President, The Association of Korean Economic Studies