Theme: Everything Connects

The theme for the talk ‘Everything connects’ has been carefully chosen as a literary way of conveying our intention to bring people together to contribute diversely, uniquely and unitedly to making one another better by spreading knowledge (development policies), forming relationships (Connecting People) and promoting values and cultures (Virtues, Values and Cultures). The idea is that this convergence of people forms a community that bears the sense of functional groups, where each group has something unique to bring to the table- towards an expected end.
It is further divided into 3 sub-themes
1) Connecting People: Our speakers will discuss topics on fostering formidable networks, building relationships and cross-cultural competences as necessary ingredients for making the world a better place
2) Virtues, Values & Culture: To Virtues, Values & Culture: Our speakers will discuss the unique social and cultural qualities that help promote ideas 1 & 2 by reflecting on the cultural norms & agenda, arts, etc of specific countries represented in KDI School, with a view to creating a synergy between those different cultures.
3) Development topics

KDI Main Auditorium
2124 Namsejong-ro
Sejong-Si, Daejeon Gwang'yeogsi, 30149
South Korea

Bertrin Amponsah Biritwum

Student, KDI School of Public Policy and Management

Currently a Master student of Public Policy, Bertrin Amponsah Biritwum is a political activist and a public interest advocate from Ghana. Bertrin focuses on social welfare issues and policies concerning women, children and the vulnerable using her foundation, The Highest Woman Foundation. Having been in the journalism industry as a broadcaster and a station manager. Bertrin loves to mentor young girls in public speaking and writing. In her free time, Bertrin loves to take a stroll, sing and dance.

Danny Cho

Comedian

Danny started performing stand-up during his stay at UCLA. He performed shows at the Laugh Factory and the Improv, both in Hollywood. He performed comedy at shows all over Southern California and occasionally at out of state universities. In 2006, while still working as a business consultant, Danny had his first national tv acting gig on Mad TV. Recently he was featured in Bud Light Commercial, which aired during the SuperBowl. In the last few years, Danny has been in various commercials and tv shows, and movies. In addition, he has been travelled all over the world doing stand-up comedy. Recently, he wrote a screenplay titled Ktown Cowboys, that was accepted to the South by Southwest film festival in 2015. Currently, he is fostering the burgeoning stand-up comedy scene in Korea.

HyunCheol Oh

Manager, Compensation Department, Korea Land & Housing Corporation

HyunCheol, Oh, who currently holds a master's degree in public policy in KDI school, works for public company, the Korea Land and Housing Corporation (LH). For 17 years, he had been in charge of land compensation, housing welfare, and urban development, and has been currently in charge of land compensation at the Seoul Headquarters from 2019. He likes to exercise and travel. He also has 5th grade in Taekwondo which is Korea’s traditional martial arts and has a leadership certificate. He is good at playing the harmonica and ocarina. He is a father of two sons, and always likes to do something with them. In 2013, he learned a lot about parenting and the role of father while taking paternity leave for one year.

Jong-Il You

Dean, KDI School of Public Policy and Management

Dr. Jong-Il You is the Dean of KDI School of Public Policy and Management. He graduated from Seoul National University and received his Ph. D in Economics from Harvard University. Before taking up Professorship at KDI School, he taught at University of Cambridge, UK, University of Notre Dame, USA and Ritsumeikan University, Japan. As an active policy advisor, he has published numerous articles in the areas of economic growth, income distribution, macroeconomic policies, development and labor issues, including his most recent brainchild and influential policy proposal, ‘A Transformative New Deal’. Dr. You has been an influential advocate of economic and political reforms as a broadcaster, columnist, and a leader in civic movement.

Sam Okyere

Entertainer and Actor

Samuel Okyere is a TV Personality, Actor, Entertainer, and Philanthropist living in South Korea. He is considered as one of the most influential foreign entertainers in Korea, having worked through the echelons of the industry, after completing his studies in Computer Engineering on a Korean Government Scholarship. He shot to fame after appearing on JTBC’s popular show, “Abnormal Summit”. Since then, he has showcased his multi-talent and featured in reputable TV shows, radio shows, movies, drama, and reality TV programs on SBS, KBS, MBC, JTBC, MBN, and tvN. Some of the notable awards in his stash includes “Fashionista Award” at the 2019 Asia Model Awards, “Best Foreign Entertainer” at the 2018 First Brand Awards and “Global Star Award” at the 8th Korea Drama Awards, 2015. Additionally, he was named in the 2017 Forbes 30 Under 30 list – Asia region for the entertainment category, acknowledging his contribution to the entertainment industry in Korea and Asia.

Yu-Min Joo

Associate Professor, KDI School of Public Policy and Management

Yu-Min Joo is an Associate Professor at the KDI School of Public Policy and Management (KDIS) in South Korea. Prior to joining KDIS, she taught at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, National University of Singapore as an assistant professor from 2012 to 2019. She holds a PhD in Urban and Regional Planning from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a Master's in Urban Planning from Harvard University. She researches and publishes on urban development and policy issues in Asia, particularly on the topics of urban governance, smart cities, mega-projects, and mega-events. Her latest books include Megacity Seoul: Urbanization and the Development of Modern South Korea, published by Routledge in 2019, and Smart Cities in Asia: Governing Development in the Era of Hyper-Connectivity, published by Edward Elgar Publishing in 2020 (co-edited with Teck-Boon Tan).