Sydney Seiler Senior Advisor, Center for Strategic and International Studies(CSIS)

Korean Peninsula Security Futures Amid Global Uncertainty, Growing Threats, and Alliance Transformation

Sydney Seiler is Senior Adviser to the CSIS Korea Chair and one of the United States foremost experts on North Korea, with over 40 years of experience in intelligence, diplomacy, and policy on the Korean Peninsula. He previously served as National Intelligence Officer for North Korea, U.S. Special Envoy for the Six Party Talks, and Director for Korea at the National Security Council. Seiler holds an M.A. in Korean Studies from Yonsei University and has spent more than a decade serving in South Korea.

Yan Xuetong Honorary President of Institute of International Relations, Tsinghua University

Counter-Globalization and China’s Foreign Policy

Yan Xuetong is a distinguished professor at Tsinghua University and Honorary President of its Institute of International Relations. He is widely recognized as one of China’s leading scholars in international politics and the founder of the “moral realism” paradigm in IR theory. In 2008, Foreign Policy named him among the world’s Top 100 Global Thinkers. His major works include Ancient Chinese Thought, Modern Chinese Power (2011), Leadership and the Rise of Great Powers (2019), and Moral Realism and Strategy for China’s Rise (2018).

Nishino Junya Director, KEIO Institute of East Asian Studies

Nishino Junya is Professor, Department of Political Science, Keio University; Director, Keio Institute of East Asian Studies; and Director, Keio Center for Contemporary Korean Studies. He received his Ph.D. in Political Science from Yonsei University. His research focuses on contemporary Korean politics, international relations of East Asia and Japan-Korea relations. Previously he served as a Special Analyst on Korean Affairs in the Intelligence and Analysis Service of the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs (2006-2007), and was a Special Assistant on Korean Politics at the Japanese Embassy in Seoul (2002-200)

Kim Il-dong Vice Minister of the Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA)

Defense Industry Transformation: Vision for a Global Top-4 Powerhouse

An expert in defense industry and procurement, he has held key positions within the Ministry of National Defense and the Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA). As Director General of the Acquisition Planning Bureau at DAPA and Director General for Force Policy at the Ministry of National Defense, he established the foundation for weapon system introduction and military force enhancement. Furthermore, he has led efforts to foster the domestic defense industry and secure future technologies while serving as Director General of the Defense Industry Promotion Bureau and the Future Force Program Support Group.

Chun Yungwoo Chairman of the Korean Peninsula Future Forum

Alliance Modernization vs. Strategic Autonomy: Korea's Position

Chun Yung-woo has established himself as a distinguished diplomat through roles such as Deputy Ambassador to the UN and Deputy Minister for Policy Planning. Notably, as Special Representative for Korean Peninsula Peace and Security Affairs and Head of the Six-Party Talks delegation, he spearheaded efforts on North Korean nuclear issues. After serving as Ambassador to the UK and Second Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs, he became National Security Advisor to the President. He currently leads the Korean Peninsula Future Forum.

Zongyuan Zoe Liu Senior Fellow, Council on Foreign Relations(CFR)

Globalization Rewritten: What U.S.-China Rivalry Means for Korean Companies

Zongyuan Zoe Liu is the Maurice R. Greenberg Senior Fellow for China Studies at the Council on Foreign Relations. Her expertise spans international political economy, global financial markets, sovereign wealth funds, energy and climate policy, and East Asia–Middle East relations. She is the author of Can BRICS De-dollarize the Global Financial System? and Sovereign Funds: How the Communist Party of China Finances its Global Ambition

Kwon Namhoon President, Korea Institute for Industrial Economics and Trade(KIET)

Korea’s Industrial Strategy under Trade Shifts and Rising China Competition

Kwon Namhoon, President of the Korea Institute for Industrial Economics and Trade He graduated from Seoul National University with a degree in economics and earned his Ph.D. at Stanford University. From 2003 to 2024, he served as a professor in the Department of Economics at Konkuk University. During this time, he also provided advisory services to the Ministry of Economy and Finance, the Regulatory Reform Committee, and the Ministry of Science and ICT. In 2024, he assumed the role of President of the Korea Institute for Industrial Economics and Trade.

Kim Yanghee Professor, Daegu University

Panel Discussion

Yanghee Kim is a professor of Economics, Finance, and Trade at. Daegu University. She serves as a policy advisor to the Office of National Security (ONS) under the Presidential Office (Blue House), and as a member of the Trade Measures Committee and the Policy Advisory Committee of the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Resources. She is also a subcommittee member of the Economic Security Division of the National Economic Advisory Council, a presidential advisory body in 2026.

Ha Hyue-su Professor, Kyungpook National University (Chairperson, Gyeongsangbuk-do Local Era Committee)

Regional Administrative Integration: A Pathway to Balanced Regional Development

Professor Ha is a policy expert who has been a professor in the Department of Public Administration at Kyungpook National University since 2001, leading administrative innovation. He played a pivotal role in the development of local autonomy, serving as the 17th President of the Korea Research Institute for Local Administration and the 20th President of the Korean Association for Local Government Studies. Recently, he established a vision for the local community as the Co-chair of the Daegu-Gyeongbuk Administrative Consolidation Public Discussion Committee. Currently, he serves as the Chairperson of a specialized subcommittee of the Presidential Committee on Local Era. He has authored a total of 16 books, including Local Decentralization Odyssey and The Aesthetics of Negotiation. Based on his extensive practical experience and academic depth, he continues to contribute as a key advisor for balanced national development.

Chung Jaehoon Professor, Seoul Women’s University

Panel Discussion

Prof. Chung Jae-hoon is a professor of Social Welfare at Seoul Women’s University and currently serves as the CEO of the Gyeongbuk Happiness Foundation. He actively contributes to public policy as a member of the Ministry of Education’s Advisory Committee and the Seoul Metropolitan Government’s Gender Equality Committee. As a leading social welfare expert, he analyzed Korea’s demographic crisis in his recent book, The Fear of 0.6. Drawing on his research of the German welfare state, he has consistently proposed practical solutions for integrating education and care, such as the expansion of all-day schooling systems.

Moon Jinseog Member of the National Assembly, Democratic Party of Korea

Panel Discussion

Rep. Moon Jin-seok is a two-term lawmaker representing Cheonan-gap, South Chungcheong Province, and a prominent infrastructure and transportation expert within the Democratic Party of Korea. After serving as the Chief of Staff to the Governor of South Chungcheong Province, he entered the 21st National Assembly and has since emerged as a key strategic mind for the party, holding senior roles such as Chairman of Strategic Planning and Vice President of the Institute for Democracy.

Lee Inseon Member of the National Assembly, People Power Party

Panel Discussion

A distinguished expert in science, technology, and regional economics, with a career spanning academia, administration, and politics. She contributed significantly to scientific advancement as the Vice President of Keimyung University and President of the Daegu Gyeongbuk Institute of Science and Technology (DGIST). She also gained extensive administrative experience serving as the Vice Governor for Economic Affairs of Gyeongsangbuk-do and Commissioner of the Daegu Gyeongbuk Free Economic Zone Authority.

Joo Sihyun Vice President of Robotics LAB, Hyundai Motor Company

Robotics for Industry and Humanity: Current Research Status and Future Directions of Physical AI

Sihyun Joo is an Executive Director at Hyundai Motor Company’s Robotics LAB, where he leads research and development focused on integrating advanced artificial intelligence and software technologies into robotics to enable intelligent, practical, and scalable robotic solutions. He oversees the development of AI models and software platforms applied to a wide range of robot services, including guidance, delivery, automatic charging, and manipulation. His work centers on advancing robotic intelligence and expanding real-world service applications, with the goal of enabling robots to seamlessly integrate into industrial environments and everyday life.

Kim Dongwoo Director, KAIST AI Philosophy Research Center

Physical AI and the Human Role

Dongwoo Kim received his Ph.D. in Philosophy from The Graduate Center, City University of New York(CUNY). He currently serves as Assistant Professor in the School of Digital Humanities and Social Sciences at KAIST, and also serves as the founding Director of the KAIST AI Philosophy Research Center beginning in 2026. He has received the KAIST Teaching Excellence Award(2023), the KAIST Research Excellence Award(2025), and the Moha Analytic Philosophy Award from the Korean Society for Analytic Philosophy(2026).

Yoo Tae-jun President, Korea Physical AI Association

Physical AI: Beyond Algorithms, Transforming Reality

Tae Joon Yoo graduated from the College of Humanities at Seoul National University. He previously served as a Private Expert for the AI Core Project Task Force, an Advisor to the Gyeonggi-do Artificial Intelligence Policy Advisory Committee, and an Operating Committee Member of the National AI Strategy Project. He is currently the Chief Executive Officer of MAUM.AI, Inc. and serves as Chairman of the Korea Physical AI Association.