Asia Society names Dr. Kyung-wha Kang, South Korea’s former Minister of Foreign Affairs, as President and CEO
NEW YORK, January 2024 — The Board of Trustees of Asia Society today announced the appointment of Dr. Kyung-wha Kang as the organization’s 9th President and Chief Executive Officer. Her appointment is effective in April. Dr. Kang is an accomplished diplomat who served as South Korea’s 38th Minister of Foreign Affairs (2017 to 2021)—the first woman to serve in this role in the nation’s history. She previously held key leadership roles at the United Nations and was appointed to senior positions by three consecutive Secretaries-General: as Deputy High Commissioner for Human Rights under Kofi Annan, Assistant Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs under Ban Ki-moon, and Senior Advisor on Policy to António Guterres. Before joining the UN, Dr. Kang held various positions in the Korean Foreign Ministry. She served as Minister at the Permanent Mission of the Republic of Korea to the UN, during which she chaired the 48th and 49th sessions of the UN Commission on the Status of Women...