#SkytteTalks. Jae-Seung Lee: “Enhancing Security Cooperation between the Republic of Korea and Europe: Challenges and Opportunities”

The lecture will examine how changes in the US-led international order, Russia’s war against Ukraine, and deepening cooperation between Russia and North Korea are increasingly connecting European and Indo-Pacific security. It will explore how the Republic of Korea and its European partners can expand security cooperation beyond their established economic ties, with particular attention to NATO–Indo-Pacific cooperation, defence-industrial partnerships, economic and energy security, emerging technologies, cybersecurity, and societal resilience. It will also consider the roles that Estonia and South Korea can play in strengthening cooperation between Europe and the Indo-Pacific.

Jae-Seung LEE is Jean Monnet Chair Professor at the College of International Studies, Director of the Ilmin International Relations Institute (IIRI), and Director of the Jean Monnet EU Centre of Excellence at Korea University. He also serves as a Senior Fellow at the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) and Vice President of the Seoul Forum for International Affairs. He previously served as Dean of the Graduate School of International Studies and the Division of International Studies at Korea University and as President of the Korean Society of Contemporary European Studies. Widely recognized as one of Korea’s leading experts on European affairs and transatlantic relations, Professor Lee brings together European and American strategic perspectives in analyzing shifts in the global order. His research and policy engagement focus on Korea’s foreign policy, economic and energy security and Europe–Indo-Pacific linkages. He has published extensively on these subjects, including as co-editor of The Routledge Handbook of Europe–Korea Relations (2021). Professor Lee currently serves as a policy advisor to Korea’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and has held a range of government advisory positions, including Chair of Just Energy Transition Committee under the Presidential Commission on Carbon Neutrality and Green Growth and policy advisor to the Ministry of Unification. He received his B.A. in Political Science from Seoul National University and his M.A. and Ph.D. in Political Science from Yale University. He is a regular columnist for major Korean newspapers and a frequent commentator on international affairs for the BBC, CNN, NHK, and leading Korean broadcasters, and has participated as a speaker and moderator at major international forums.