​Mr. Yu was the South Korean Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade between 2008 and 2010, holding the position as South Korea’s top diplomat. He has held multiple prestigious positions as an international relations expert. Previous posts include Ambassador to Japan, the Philippines, and Israel. He is also on the Board of Trustees at the World Policy Conference, working with world leaders to ensure respectful collaboration between nations to resolve major social and international issues.
 
During his tenure, Minister Yu pushed for North Korean nuclear disarmament. Working alongside former US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, his commitment to mitigating the threat of North Korean conflict was one of his major focuses in office. Mr. Yu’s knowledge and experience with North Korean policy made for an engaging discussion about North Korean refugees and their integration into South Korean society.   
 
During the interview, Mr. Yu discussed South Korea’s role in the refugee crisis, his own experiences working with Palestinian refugees, and practices put in place to assist North Korean defectors. He finished the discussion with an empowering message for the youth – the key to change lies within the next generation of passionate young advocates.

The interview with Mr Yu Myung-hwan was conducted by Assistant Director & Advocacy Lead, Jessica Treves over Zoom.
Unfortunately, Minister Yu's video was not working.