About me

If you’re looking for someone who spends all day buried in books and academic theories, I might not be your guy. Sure, I research, I write, I analyze -- but I also believe that the best insights come from on-the-ground experience. And trust me, I’ve had my fair share. From the diplomatic circles of Washington D.C. to the bustling media rooms in Hong Kong, to the nerve center of Northeast Asian politics in Seoul, I’ve been there -- taking notes, asking tough questions, and sometimes dodging a few awkward silences after them.

As a research professor at Korea University, my work focuses on security, diplomacy, and the ever-evolving power dynamics of Northeast Asia. But before I landed in academia, I spent years covering some of the region’s biggest political and security events as a journalist. I’ve reported on everything from high-stakes summits to street protests, trying to make sense of geopolitics one breaking news story at a time. If there was an event that shaped modern Asia, chances are, I was there:

Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) Forum in Beijing

(Where I learned that “win-win cooperation” sometimes means “China wins twice”)

Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore

(Where military generals pretend they’re all friends for three days)

Hong Kong Protests

(Where tear gas is, unfortunately, not just a theoretical concept)

The Global Coronavirus Outbreak

(Where “breaking news” meant “everything is on fire, all the time”)

Inter-Korean Summits in Seoul

(Where handshakes lasted longer than some diplomatic agreements)

Trump-Kim Summits in Singapore and Hanoi

(Where history was made, then promptly unmade)

HAPEC Forum in Port Moresby

(Where world leaders had an intense geopolitical standoff… over hotel accommodations)

Through it all, one thing remains clear to me: Democracy thrives on the free flow of information. I firmly believe that knowledge empowers people, and that journalism and academia are two sides of the same coin, both working to uncover the truth and inform the public.

Whether it’s covering a high-level diplomatic meeting or analyzing regional security strategies, my goal has always been to bridge the gap between facts and understanding.

These days, you’ll find me in the classroom, helping students make sense of complex political realities, or at my desk, researching how security dynamics in Asia continue to evolve. But deep down, I’m still that journalist at heart -- always curious, always questioning, and always searching for the bigger picture.

(Also, if you ever want to discuss democracy over coffee, I won’t say no.)