15.10.2024: Conference on the Republic of Korea and Central Europe Cooperation

We cordially invite you to the Conference on the Republic of Korea and Central Europe Cooperation, organized by the Center for Asian Studies (CAS) in cooperation with the Prague Embassy of the Republic of Korea, the Institute of International Relations Prague (IIR) and the Faculty of International Relations.

The conference will take place on Tuesday, October 15th (9:00-12:30, in the rector’s meeting room, 169 NB), at the Prague University of Economics and Business.

The attention of Central and Eastern Europe has been drawn by security concerns over the Russian invasion of Ukraine, growing instability in the Middle East and economic recovery after massive inflation. Nevertheless, the Indo-Pacific region remains highly important for the CEE countries because NATO remains highly important for the CEE countries due to NATO security interests as well as economic security. At the same time, the elections to the European Parliament and the US presidential office may reshape the geopolitical importance of the Indo-Pacific. How could RoK and CEE cooperation mutually benefit both regions and how could they strengthen the ties amid the global tensions? 

Program: 

8:40 – 9:00 – Registration  

9:00 – 9:15 – Opening Remarks 

H.E. Youngki Hong – Ambassador of the Republic of Korea to the Czech Republic 

Ms Martina Jirankova – Dean of the Faculty of International Relations 

Mats Braun – Director of the IIR, Prague 

9:15 – 10:45 – Session 1: Central Europe’s Security Challenges – Cooperation with Indo-Pacific Partners 

• Takashi Hosoda – Researcher, Institute of Intelligence Studies, University of Defense, Czechia 

• Jan Švec – Researcher at the Asia-Pacific Unit – Centre for the Study of Global Regions, IIR Prague 

• Jaeyeon Moon – Journalist, Hankook Daily Newspaper (Hankookilbo) 

• Taehwa Hong – Eurasia Fellow, Foreign Policy Research Institute (FPRI) 

Moderator: Jakub Eberle – Senior researcher at the Institute of International Relations Prague, Associate Professor, Faculty of International Relations, Prague University of Economics and Business 

10:45-11:15 Coffee Break 

11:15 – 12:30 – Session 2: Europe – South Korea Economic Cooperation Amidst Decreasing Interdependence – Challenges for Supply Chains 

• Jana Vlčková – Researcher, Faculty of International Relations, Prague University of Economics and Business 

• Marek Libřický – Director of the Asia-Pacific Department, The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic 

• Yanghee Kim – Associate Professor, Division of Economics & Finance, Daegu University 

Moderator: Tereza De Castro – Assistant Professor, Faculty of International Relations, Prague University of Economics and Business 

12:30-13:30 – Lunch