Unification Minister Cho Myoung-gyon appointed Ko Gyung-bin, director
of the Peace Foundation, as the new president of the Korea Hana
Foundation on November 1.
The president of the Korea Hana Foundation is appointed by the
Minister of Unification after being recommended by a board of
directors in accordance with Article 30-5 of the Act on Protection and
Settlement Support of North Korean Refugees.
The new president was considered the right man for the position
since he had extensive experience in unification and North Korean
defector issues: he served in key positions at the Ministry of
Unification and twice served as the head of Hanawon. He is expected to
lead the Korea Hana Foundation with great understanding of and
interest in North Korean defectors.
Ko Gyung-bin graduated from Seoul National University with a
degree in social studies education and earned a master’s degree in
international politics at Durham University, Britain.
He served as director general for social and cultural exchange,
director general of the Gaeseong Industrial Complex Project Bureau,
chief director for policy public relations, and director of Hanawon at
the Ministry of Unification; chairman of the South-North Korea
Exchanges and Cooperation Support Association; and director of the
Peace Foundation from 2009 to 2017.