GR KOREA - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Ambassador
- Senior Advisor
- Executive Director, Head of Operations / Ambassador Warwick Morris / Senior Advisor
- Member of the British Association of Korean Studies
Warwick Morris was a professional British diplomat for 39 years and served as Britain's Ambassador to South Korea from 2003-08. He also spent 3 years as Ambassador to Vietnam. He served three times in South Korea, for a total of 13 years, starting with 18 months learning Korean at Yonsei University. Trade, investment and economic issues were an important part of his work. He made working visits to North Korea in 1991 and 2004.
Warwick is a member of the British Association of Korean Studies and served as Executive Chairman of the British-Korean Society from 2011-17. He regularly participates in Korea-related workshops and seminars, and comments on Korea for the BBC and other broadcasters. He was Honorary President of the British-Korean Law Association and is a founder and current Chairman of the Vietnam-UK Network.
From 2010-13, Warwick was an Adviser to Lloyd's Insurance on Korea and Vietnam. From 2009-13, he was an External Director of PCA Life Korea and now plays a similar role for Prudential in Vietnam. He was an Adviser to the UK Office of Korea's Trade-Investment Promotion Agency (KOTRA) from 2010-17.
Warwick was awarded an Honorary PhD in Political Science from Soonchunyang University in 2006, and was elected an Honorary Fellow of Robinson College, University of Cambridge, in 2011. In June 2023, he was appointed OBE in HM The King's Birthday Honours List for services to the UK's relations with The Republic of Korea and Vietnam.
Chankyeong is a professional in governmental relations, with 14 years of experience within the National Assembly. She possesses profound knowledge on parliamentary policy formulation and evaluation processes in Korea, complemented by deep insights into the intricate interplay between parliament and government. Her domain of expertise extends to parliamentary diplomacy, adeptly cultivating relationships with foreign legislative and administrative entities, and orchestrating sophisticated high-level bilateral and multilateral engagements.
Prior to joining GR Korea, Chankyeong served as an international cooperation officer at the National Assembly Secretariat, engaging with diverse stakeholder groups to achieve significant milestones such as supporting market entry, exhancing international economic cooperation, assisting bid for world expo, augmenting international development cooperation through ODA policy, etc.
Chankyeong holds a B.A. in History from Korea University, an M.A from the University of North Korean Studies, and a PhD in International Politics from Hanyang University. She is fluent in English, Korean and Russian.
Christoph Heider is an experienced business and advocacy leader with a career of more than 30 years in Korea, Japan, and Germany.
Christoph led the European Chamber of Commerce in Korea (ECCK) from 2013 to 2023 for more than 10 years and was the main driver to develop the organization into the key advocacy organization for European business operating in and with Korea. During his 10 years tenure, the organization raised more than 1,000 recommendations to the Korean government - but equally important - also provided information and advice to its European stakeholders such as the European Commission, European Parliament or the EFTA Secretariat.
Before, Christoph held various management positions at Bayer Ltd. (Japan) and Bayer AG (Germany) before arriving in Korea in 2010 when he was appointed Chief Financial Officer of Bayer Korea.
Christoph has a Master Degree in Business Administration from the University of Mannheim and a Postgraduate Certificate in Japanese Language and Culture from the University of Tuebingen and Doshisha University in Kyoto.
Job Titles:
- Expert in Korean
- Senior Public Policy Manager
Dae Kyung Kim is an expert in Korean political affairs as he worked as a policy aide to the National Assembly, the Blue House, and major party organisations. Dae Kyung has a deep knowledge and understanding of policy planning and legislation with experience at various National Assembly standing committees, including the Strategy and Finance Committee, the National Policy Committee, the Land, Infrastructure and Transport Committee, and the Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee. In addition to his extensive experience in the standing committees, Dae Kyung was also involved in the National Assembly special committees, including the Special Committee on Budget and Accounts, the Special Committee on Sustainable Development, and the Special Committee on Constitutional Amendment.
At the Prime Minister's Secretariat, Dae Kyung communicated with the National Assembly, cooperated with other government bodies, monitored political affairs and developments, and gathered intelligence on the ruling and opposition parties. Dae Kyung has an extensive network of connections within the National Assembly, government, as well as key organisations and companies.
Dae Kyung received his bachelor's degree in law and military science from Chungnam National University (South Korea).
Job Titles:
- Senior Consultant, Administrative Attorney
As a Senior Consultant, Hoon brings over two decades of extensive experience in government affairs and public relations. With his expertise in communications and combined knowledge of both local and central government operations, he provides in-depth advice to clients across various sectors. Hoon served as a key member of the Presidential Cabinet for five years and played a pivotal role in two successful presidential election campaigns.
Additionally, he held the position of Director of Public Relations in local governments such as Seoul, Incheon, and Chungcheongnam-do. Most recently, Hoon served as the General Director of the Public Relations Department at the Korea Water Resource Corporation. He holds a Master's degree in International Relations and a bachelor's degree in Political Science from Sogang University.
Job Titles:
- Representative Director
- Co - Founder of the GR Company
Jakob Edberg is co-founder of The GR Company, and has over two decades of direct experience in politics and policy-making. Prior to co-founding The GR Company, Jakob was Policy Director at the European Business Council in Japan, where he supervised government outreach and advocacy for over 300 companies in 29 sector committees. He also served as a senior trade officer at the Swedish Embassy in Tokyo. Jakob is widely recognised as the leading government affairs practioner in Japan, with expertise in a range of policy areas including trade, consumer finance, energy and environment, tourism, and others.
Jakob is fluent in Japanese, English and Swedish, and complements degrees in political science and Japanese language with a Masters in International Political Economy from the University of Tsukuba, Japan.
Jim has over 25 years of experience working on U.S.-Asian trade and economic affairs. Prior to joining The GR Company, he served as Vice President for Asia at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, leading the work of a regional team covering Korea, China, Japan and Southeast Asia, and the Chamber's engagement in the U.S. Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Business Coalition.
Jim was also responsible for regional trade issues, and played a leadership role in managing the Chamber's work on the U.S.-Korea Free Trade Agreement (KORUS FTA). Between 2015-2016, Jim was co-leader of the U.S. Coalition for the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement, working directly with the White House, the office of the U.S. Trade Representative and other executive branch agencies to address business community's specific concerns. Jim is also a former President of the U.S.-Japan Business Council, where he played a significant role in working with U.S. companies to address trade, tax, regulatory, intellectual property and other policy issues in a wide range of major industries.
Jeonghoon Park is an expert in government affairs, posessing deep knowledge and firsthand experience of the Korean policy-making process, foreign policy, international relations, and global policy frameworks from her extensive diplomatic background. Her work has extensively involved collaboarations with various government ministries, the National Assembly, and key policy stakeholders.
Before joining GR Korea, she served as a diplomat at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Korea, taking on pivotal roles in areas such as the Korea-U.S. relationship and the management of the ministry's organizational and human resources. Her dedication to international diplomacy extended to her position at the Permanent Delegation of Korea to the OECD, where she represented Korea in multilateral discussions on pressing global issues such as climate change, anti-corruption efforts, and global tourism. Additionally, she has experience coordinating ODA projects with KOICA and has also worked at a U.S.-based research institute focusing on international security, utilizing both quantitative and qualitative analytical skills.
Jeonghoon holds an M.A. in International Relations from the University of Chicago and a B.A. in Political Science and International Relations from Seoul National University. She is fleunt in Korean, English, and French.
Job Titles:
- Expert
- Public Policy Manager, Pharmacist
Jiwon Kim is an expert with a myriad of practical experiences in the healthcare industry, including medicine, cosmetics, food, medical devices, and health functional foods. With her expertise and hand-on experience, Jiwon has been engaged in strategic development and led various assignments with fast-moving healthcare clients.
At the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (MFDS), Jiwon was in charge of formulating domestic drug policies and supervising pharmaceutical institutions based on the Pharmaceutical Affairs Act. Jiwon also previously served as a pharmaceutical team leader at the Kim & Chang. Her main engagements have centered on research and issue analysis, strategy development, and consulting tasks in industries spanning from pharmaceutical, cosmetics, and food industries. Throughout her career, Jiwon accumulated a deep understanding of the healthcare industry and government regulations.
Jiwon's main strength originates from her diverse background ranging from government agency to private industry sector. Throughout her career, she has shown an ability in providing practical strategies and solutions that meet clients' interests in an objective manner.
Jiwon received her bachelor's degree in pharmacy from Sookmyung Women's University and completed an MBA course at Korea University. She currently holds a pharmacist license.
Jonghyun provides policy and regulatory analysis based on his deep understanding of Korean politics and public administration. He has engaged in diverse projects across the renewable energy, circular economy, international trade, ODA, and consumer goods sectors.
Before joining GR Korea, he co-founded a smart healthcare startup and served as its CFO. Jonghyun graduated summa cum laude from Seoul National University, holding B.A. in Political Science and International Relations, and Geography. He is fluent in Korean and English.
Job Titles:
- Executive Director
- Head of Operations
- Executive Director, Head of Operations / Ambassador Warwick Morris / Senior Advisor
Juyun is a public affairs and strategic communications professional with history of working both in-house and as an external consultant. She is experienced in implementing public affairs projects across fields such as intellectual property, internet technology and software, environment, and energy. Since COVID-19 outbreak, she has been heavily involved in global health issue, and is providing policy consultation to leading domestic and international partners to combat the pandemic.
Before joining GR Korea, Juyun was a policy analyst for Korea's dominant telecommunication company, KT, and served as an aide to a very senior member of Cabinet and the National Assembly. Juyun holds a B.A. in Political Science and International Relations from Yonsei University, Seoul, and is fluent in English, Korean and Mandarin Chinese.
Job Titles:
- Government
- Public Policy Manager
Kunhak Lee is a government affair professional with experience in leading and supporting projects across environment, carbon neutrality, ESG, global health and ODA, e-commerce, online platform business, and mobility.
Before joining GR Korea, he was a research analyst for Korea Studies team of Council on Foreign Relations, Washington D.C, and served as an aide to a former senior member of the National Assembly. He was also involved in multiple election campaigns including the general election and the presidential election as a campaign strategist. Kunhak holds a B.A. in Political Science and International Relations from Yonsei University, and is fluent in English, Korean and French.
MinJung Kim provides professional government affair analysis based on her deep insight into international legal and policy frameworks. Before joining GR Korea, she was a law and policy analyst at the OECD and a well-renowned multinational law firm. Her research expertise includes regulations on media, banking, courier business and distribution. MinJung holds a B.A. in English Language and Literature from Yonsei University, and has obtained the Certificate of Studies in Social Sciences and Humanities from Sciences Po in Paris. She is fluent in Korean, English and French and has proficiency in Mandarin and Thai.
Job Titles:
- Analyst
- Policy Analyst With Working Knowledge of the ROK
Nate Leggett is a seasoned policy analyst with working knowledge of the ROK public sector & policy mechanisms.
Prior to joining GR Korea, Nate worked as an international liaison at the Republic of Korea National Assembly. He also worked with several trade & regulatory bodies (KOTRA, MOTIE) as part of a semi-autonomous foreign direct investment (FDI) think tank in Seoul.
Nate holds a BA in Political Science & Int'l Relations from Sogang University in Seoul, South Korea, and speaks fluent Korean.
Seulgi has years of experience at a government-funded research institute under the Office of the Prime Minister, organizing and operating performance evaluation system to help improve the ministry's efficiency of budget use. She also has extensive first-hand knowledge on Korean government budgeting process and public finance system. Seulgi provides exceptional analysis to clients based on econometrics and quantitative data analysis skills.
Job Titles:
- Certified Public Accountant
- Finance Manager
Sujin Lee is a certified public accountant with extensive knowledge and experience in finance and accounting.
Grounded in her experience at Deloitte Anjin Accounting Corporation working with foreign companies, she is an expert in accurately assessing the company's financial standing, developing optimal financial strategies, and providing expert guidance in accounting and taxation focusing on efficient financial management as well as strategic risk hedging.
She has profound understanding of domestic and international tax regulations, and she is providing expert advice internally and externally.
Sujin holds a bachelor of Business Administration from Sungkyunkwan University, and is a licensed certified public accountant (CPA).
Yoon Seung is a policy analyst conducting consultancy projects on innovative areas based on his work experience at startup and as founder of a SaaS startup. Based on experiences of carrying out policy analysis for local governments, he analyzes and helps clients to understand central and local government policies of Korea.
Yoon Seung majored in public administration and political science and international relations at Korea University, and is fluent in Korean, English, Mandarin Chinese and Spanish.