Kang Jun-young

Professor of Chinese Studies, Graduate School of International Studies, Hankuk University of Foreign Studies

Kang Jun-young is Professor of Chinese Studies at the Graduate School of International Studies and Head of the Center for International Area Studies at the Hankuk University of Foreign Studies. He is also a regular commentator on China and international issues with various media outlets. He earned his master's and PhD degrees from the Graduate Institute of Asian Studies of National Cheng Chi University in Taipei, Taiwan. His main areas of research are in contemporary Chinese political economy and International relations in Northeast Asia. He has served as a policy adviser to the South Korean foreign ministry, and is currently an adviser to the Korea Northeast Asian History Foundation and the Korea Navy Development Committee.

South Korea's president-elect Yoon Seok-youl speaks during a news conference at his transition team office, in Seoul, South Korea, 20 March 2022. (Jung Yeon-je/Pool via Reuters)

South Korea’s new president needs to avoid predecessor’s mistakes and reframe foreign policy priorities

South Korean academic Kang Jun-young notes that the incoming Yoon Seok-youl administration in South Korea will have to rectify several diplomatic missteps of the previous administration, including by restoring ties with Japan and adjusting its policies towards China and the US, while dealing with the nuclear issue with North Korea. Will Yoon’s administration be able to juggle all this while maintaining its national dignity and not giving in to external pressure?