Dongseo University’s Minseok College of Liberal Arts invited Kim Soo-kwon, former Ambassador to Finland, to teach at DSU from 2021. Professor Kim previously had a distinguished career as a diplomat for 32 years, working overseas in a wide variety of capacities. With extensive experience and knowledge in European affairs through his scholarship at Oxford University and the University of London (SOAS) in the UK, he has mostly worked in Europe and North America. From 2019, after retiring from public office the previous year, he continues his professional activities on European culture through publishing a monthly column entitled “Kim Soo-kwon's Global Perspective” in eToday, and also regularly contributes to the journal Finland and History.

In his first year, Professor Kim will teach the subjects ‘European Society and Culture’ and ‘International Relations and the Unification of the Korean Peninsula.’ The former course will develop students' international sense and help forge their global mindsets through studying European society, history, philosophy, and culture. In the second semester, the latter course will draw on Professor Kim’s experience as, variously, Peace Diplomacy Planning Director, Minister of Permanent Mission of the Republic of Korea to the United Nations, a senior administrative officer in the Chief Secretary Office of Foreign Affairs and National Security in the Presidential Office, and as the head of the North America Division 3, to provide contents based on practical experiences in implementing diplomatic strategies for peace in a rapidly changing situ- ation on the Korean Peninsula.

In addition to teaching, Professor Kim is expected to undertake various activities at the university in his capacity as a diplomatic expert with extensive overseas experience. On top of his aforementioned postings and roles, he has served as an advisor in exchange and cooperation projects with numerous universities and academic institutions around the world, with prominent roles in such achievements as the establishing of a Korean Studies program at Columbia University in New York in the U.S., establishing a Korean Studies professorship at the University of Helsinki in Finland, and in setting up a Korean language course at the University of Turku in Finland.