Munhee Jung

Biography

Munhee Jung Joined the Institute as an Honorary Senior Fellow in 2023. Munhee has worked in the South Korean government and now is a Senior Deputy Director of the Ministry of Trade, Industry, and Energy (MoTIE). Before joining the MoTIE in 2017, she worked for the Ministry of Environment for ten years. Having witnessed the rapid economic development of South Korea, largely derived from the merits of free trade, and having experiences in policymaking to deliver a circular economy, Munhee developed an interest in the relationship between open trade and the potential environmental benefits or costs. Being granted an entrance scholarship from the Institute for Resources, Environment, and Sustainability at the University of British Columbia (UBC), Munhee had a chance to pursue her master's degree and did empirical research on the environmental consequences of varying degrees of trade intensities. Withdrawing a conclusion that closer economic dependence between countries leads to technological advancement and spillover effect, Munhee decided to contribute to gaining double dividends of multilateral trade discipline, economic prosperity, and environmental sustainability. In MoTIE, Munhee engaged in deepening economic ties with countries of Southeast Asia and the Middle East. Also, she gained practical expertise in international trade law while in charge of WTO dispute settlement proceedings on behalf of the Korean government.