Choi Young-jin

Choi Young-jin studied medicine and international relations at Yonsei University before earning a doctorate in international relations in Paris. His career combined Korean diplomacy with international organizations. He helped administer the Korean Peninsula Energy Development Organization in 1995–1997, served as a UN assistant secretary-general for peacekeeping, and subsequently became ambassador in Vienna, vice foreign minister, and Korea's permanent representative to the United Nations. ¹

From 2007 to 2011 Choi headed the UN operation in Côte d'Ivoire. His certification of the 2010 presidential election became central to the dispute between Alassane Ouattara and incumbent Laurent Gbagbo. Contemporary reporting recorded both the UN's recognition of Ouattara and objections to Choi's certification mandate. ^{1, 2}

As ambassador to the United States in 2012–2013, Choi spoke about Korea's emergence as a democratic, industrial, and cultural partner. In an April 2013 Denver dialogue with former American ambassador Thomas Hubbard, he connected the alliance's sixtieth anniversary with trade and Korea's wider international responsibilities. After diplomatic service he taught comparative Eastern and Western civilizations at Yonsei through 2018 and published a trilogy on their underlying cultural philosophies. ^{1, 3}