International Development and Cooperation, African Economic Development, Economies of Developing Countries, Science and Technology, Education and Development
Biography
[Past Experience before My University Education]
I used be a mechanical engineer before I started higher education in the U.K. in 1986. I spent 12 years working in a manufacturing industry, POSCO, and a construction company, Jungwoo, in the 1970s and 1980s. I spent nearly 3 years in the Middle East in the early 1980s which brought me a lot of challenges as I could see more of the world. I went to Britain for my undergraduate and post-graduate studies.
Education
● 1998 Ph.D. in Development Economics, University of Strathclyde, Glasgow, U.K.
● 1991 M.Sc. in International Trade and Finance, Lancaster University, U.K.
● 1990 M.A. in Economics, University of Glasgow, U.K.
Experience:
• Aug. 2016 - Present. Professor, Department of Technology and Society, Dean of Admissions, Director, Institute of International Development and Cooperation, The State University of New York, Korea, Incheon, Korea
• Mar. 2014 - Jul. 2016. Specialist Professor, Director, Center for International Development and Cooperation, Duksung Women’s University, Seoul, Korea
• Mar. 2008 – Feb. 2014. Professor, Graduate School of International Studies, Korea University, Seoul, Korea
• Mar. 2004 – Feb. 2008. CEO, Delphi Research Co.,Ltd. Seoul, Korea (business consulting company)
• Jul. 2001 – Feb. 2004. CEO, Meta Business Institute, Seoul, Korea (Formerly Maekyung Business Research Institute, founded in 1995, a private business consulting company)
• Mar. 1999 – Jul. 2001. Manager, Evaluation and Management Team, National Research Council for Humanities, Economics and Social Sciences, Under the Prime Minister, Korea
• Mar. 1995 - Sept. 1995. Lecturer in Economics, Ethiopian Civil Service University, Ethiopia
• Apr. 1994 - Feb. 1995. Lecturer in Economics, Faculty of Business and Economics, Addis Ababa University, Ethiopia
• Sept. 1991 - Jul. 1993. Researcher and Lecturer, the University of Strathclyde, U.K.
• Extramural: 1973-1980, POSCO, and 1980-1984, Jungwoo Development Co., Ltd.
[Further Mission]
I would like to spend the rest of my career educating young people to give them vision and high aims to contribute to the society they belong to and at the global level. I will support young people from developing countries and work together with them to build their countries with professional knowledge and sound strategies. Hence, I could contribute some to make the world a better place to live.
Teaching
I started teaching at the university level since 1991 when I was a researcher and lecture at the University of Strathclyde in the U.K. I believe that it is necessary to have two way traffics at university teaching. I think that I am a demanding person to students. I run classes by lecturing with PPT materials and encourage student participation, group class presentation with PPT materials, essay writing and quizzes. All class examinations are essay writing for two and half hours for mid-term and final. I am pushing students hard to improve their writing and presentation skills and professional knowledge of the subject. My courses are shown below.
[Teaching Subjects at SUNY Korea]
EST 230 – ICT for Development
EST 392 – Engineering and Managerial Economics
EST 582 – Introduction to Systems Concepts
EST 387 – Special Topics on Economic Development and Technological Progress:
[Teaching Subjects in Previous Universities]
Economic Growth, Development and Globalization (3 Credits)
Sustainable Development and International Organizations (3 Credits)
Theories and Practices of Economic Integration (3 credits)
Environmental Protection and SDGs (3 credits)
International Cooperation and Development: Foreign Aid (3 Credits)
International Cooperation and Development: African Economic Issues (3 credits)
Past and Present Research
My research interest covers various topics from microeconomics, macroeconomics and international economics. I have a wide range of work experience in foreign countries in Asia, Africa and Latin America. During the last 20 years or so, I have been traveling extensively to Africa and Asia. Especially, I have involved in foreign aid, international development and cooperation, foreign direct investment, etc.
I focus on economic development, international trade, education sector development, science and technology progress, etc.
My professional career started at the University of Strathclyde in September 1990 when I joined as a researcher and lecturer. My research was about technology transfer and economic progress among developing countries.After that I joined Addis Ababa University, Ethiopia as a lecturer in April 1994. I spent two years in Ethiopia. I also taught at Ethiopian Civil Service University as a founding member of the Department of Economics.
My research interest has been geared into economies of developing countries. I was fascinated by the status of African economies when I first arrived at Addis Ababa Airport, Ethiopia in April 1994. I immediately made up my mind that I need to support their economic development. My first question was how African countries can learn from the Korean experience because I was born and bred in a small rural village in Korea and remembered the same situation in Ethiopia at that time with underdeveloped everything in Ethiopia. Since then, my research activities were mainly engaged in knowledge transfer or sharing of Korea’s development experience with developing countries.
Since 2008, as a professor at Korea University, I was specializing international development and cooperation. I was able to carry out many research projects subject to Asia and Africa. In 2004, one project was about the establishment of civil service training institute in Kabul, Afghanistan. It was a very challenging project, but sadly enough the country fell into the Taliban again recently. Most of my research activities are focused on African economic issues. It covers economic policy making, international trade, foreign direct investment, education sector development especially TVET (Technical Vocational Education and Training), science and technology, infrastructure development, the energy sector, and how these areas could be strengthened with international cooperation.
I have worked for some international organizations such as UNDP, UNESCO, African Development Bank, European Union, Asian Development Bank, and UNECA (UN Economic Commission for Africa). I was invited by these organizations as a consultant or carried out research projects.
I carried out research projects from the National Research Foundation, the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Strategy and Finance, the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Resources, the Ministry of Agriculture, Animal and Food, the Ministry of Science, Technology and ICT, and KOICA (Korea International Cooperation Agency), etc.