Climate Energy Summit Seoul 2023
Speakers
KeynoteJyoti Mathur-Filipp
Executive Secretary / INC on Plastic Pollution / UNEP
Jyoti Mathur-Filipp currently serves as the Executive Secretary of the Secretariat of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee for Plastics Pollution. With a career spanning over 25 years in international environmental diplomacy, Ms. Mathur-Filipp possesses extensive knowledge of organizations, policies, and networks in the fields of environment, climate, and sustainable development. Prior to her current role, she served as Director at the Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), a Rio Convention, where she led the Implementation Division and played significant roles in inter-governmental processes. Notably, she served as Secretary of the Subsidiary Body for Implementation and Secretary to the Open-Ended Working Group, guiding the two co-chairs in the work that led to the adoption of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework. Ms. Mathur-Filipp’s expertise also includes her contributions as a consultant to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and her role as a Senior Advisor at UNDP, leading the work on ecosystem payments under the REDD+ initiative. She holds a MSc in Urban Policy, Management, and Planning from the New School in New York and an MBA from the City University of New York. She completed her undergraduate studies at Jesus and Mary College in New Delhi and is an alumnus of Welham Girl’s School in Dehradun, India.
KeynoteHyo-Eun Kim
Ambassador and Deputy Minister for Climate Change / Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Republic of Korea
Hyo-Eun Kim is Ambassador and Deputy Minister for Climate Change in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Korea since July 2021. She is also chief negotiator of UNFCCC Paris agreement, representing her country. Before taking the role, she was Deputy Director-General of the Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI). GGGI is a treaty-based inter-governmental organization supporting developing countries and emerging economies to achieve economic growth and environmental sustainability together through following new pathway of green growth. She was responsible for managing GGGI’s in-country operations in more than 35 countries, supporting low carbon economic growth in line with Paris Climate Agreement and UNSDGs. From 2016 to 2018, she was the Ambassador of the Republic of Korea to Senegal and five neighboring countries. She contributed to build strategic relationship on development cooperation between Korean and West Africa. During 2013 to 2016, as the Director for Strategy, Policy, and Communication at the GGGI, she led the development of GGGI Strategic Plan 2015-2020, governance structural reform, and outreach. As a career diplomat in Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs, she served as Director for Climate Change and Environment Affairs and Director for World Trade Organization (WTO). She served as the Vice-Chair of Trade and Environment Joint Committee of the OECD and the Chair of Budget and Management Committee of the APEC. She earned her Bachelor’s in political science and diplomacy from Yonsei University in Seoul and the Master’s degree from the Jackson School of International Studies at the University of Washington in Seattle. She is married with one son. She wrote A Diplomat Must Be a Multiplayer in 2008, describing life of diplomats. Her second book, titled Audacious Challenge to International Organizations, was published in 2013. She also supervised publishing However Long the Night in Korean translation in 2019.
ModeratorHo-Jeong Park
Professor / Dept. of Food and Resource Economics / Korea University
Ho-Jeong Park is Professor at Korea University and served as president of Korea Resource Economics Association. He graduated from Seoul National University and University of Maryland, particularly focusing on resource and climate change economics. He is a member of various government committees for electricity market and emission trading programs.
Session 1Jorg WEBERNDIRFER
Minister Counsellor / Trade and Economic Section / Delegation of the European Union to the Republic of Korea
Jorg Weberndorfer is Minister Counsellor at the trade section of the EU Delegation to the Republic of Korea and is, inter alia, responsible for sustainability issues, including climate and environment. After his professional traineeship at courts in Germany and at the German Chamber of Commerce in Canada, he worked as lawyer at an international law firm in Germany, as manager at the EU agency for Intellectual Property rights in Spain, as auditor and policy officer responsible for the Far East at the European Commission in Belgium, and as Minister Counsellor at the trade section of the EU Delegation in Argentina. Jorg passed the German solicitor and bar exams, holds a PhD in law, a LL.M. (LSE, London), and an Executive MBA (IE, Spain). He is also accredited Internal Auditor (IIA Belgium).
Session 1Michihiro Oi
Director / Water Environmental Division / Ministry of Environment, Japan
Oi has been in charge of water environment management in Japan, and also involved in the negotiation of the international treaty to end plastic pollution since July 2022. Before that he had worked for various fields in the Ministry both international and domestic context, including negotiation on the Paris Agreement, climate adaptation and mitigation policies and environmental impact assessment. He was seconded to the Environment Directorate, OECD, Paris from 2008 to 2011. He received MSc in Environmental Science from the Kyoto University in 1994, and MSc in Environment and Development from the University of East Anglia, UK in 2004.
Session 1Min-Young Han
Deputy Director-General / Climate Change, Energy,Environment and Scientific / Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Republic of Korea
Min-Young Han, Deputy Director-General of Climate Change, Energy, Environment and Scientific Affairs of the Foreign Ministry, joined the Ministry in1998 and has expertise in the field of climate and environment for more than 20 years. In addition, Ms. Han has also served at the Consulate General of the Republic of Korea in Boston, the Embassy in Bulgaria, and the Permanent Mission to the United Nations. She has a bachelor’s degree in English education and a master’s degree in International Relations, both from Seoul National University, and a Ph.D in political science from Yale University.
Session 2Jong-Hyuk Lee
Vice President / Green Business Development / SK GEO CENTRIC
Jong Hyuk, Lee is in charge of plastic recycling business development at SK Geocentric and is currently leading the pyrolysis project. He initiated SK’s plastic recycling business, and contributed to SK representing the petrochemical industry takes the lead in tackling with climate change issues and building circular economy through recycling. In addition, he hosted the Korea Sustainable Packaging Forum, which celebrates its fifth year this year, to create a place for public-private cooperation and communication, and last year, he participated in the ‘Korean Commission for Corporate Growth Committee’ and led a win-win agreement for recycling waste plastics between large and small-medium enterprises.
In 2022, he was awarded the medal at the Korean New Deal Government Award and is currently serving as an outside director of Loop Industries, a Canadian PET depolymerization technology company invested by SK.
He majored in Industrial Chemistry at Hanyang University.
Session 2Jeff Huh
Vice President / Automotive, Materials & Industrial Solutions / BASF Company Ltd.
Jeff Huh, Vice President of BASF Korea, has worked for BASF in China, Hong Kong, Japan and Korea since 2011, and has accumulated long-term experience in business areas such as marketing and product management. Previously, he worked at ‘Cognis’, which was acquired by BASF, from 2003. In addition, he worked as a senior consultant in the Environments and safety in ERM Korea and as an Process Engineer at Samsung Engineering Seoul. He received bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the Department of Chemical Engineering, Seoul National University.
Session 2Yong-Won Cho
Research Fellow / Center for Growth Engine Industries / Korea Institute for Industrial Economics & Trade
Yong-Won Cho has been researching the Korean chemical industry since 2013 at the Korea Institute for Industrial Economics & Trade. In the process of the Korean government establishing a carbon neutral strategy for the Korean petrochemical industry, he participates in the 2030 Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) and the Long-term low Emissions Development Strategies (LEDS) from 2020. Moreover, he is interested in developing carbon-neutral strategies which are highly acceptable and technically feasible in the Korean petrochemical industry, such as plastic recycling.
He received a Master’s degree in Economics from Seoul National University and a Ph.D. in Agricultural Economics from Washington State University, U.S.A.
Talk ConcertSo-Hee Kim
Secretary General / Climate Change Center
The Climate Change Center focuses its efforts in strengthening capacity to cope with climate change and realize a low-carbon society. It functions as a focal point of a global climate change response network and links international organizations. Sohee Kim, Secretary-General of the Climate Change Center, has taken in charge ofthe `Climate Change Leadership Academy over 15 years which was first established in South Korea in 2008 and it has been grown with more than 1,000 alumni from the Korean government, businesses, academia and civil societies. She is a member of Energy Commission the National Assembly Forum on Climate Change, Director of the Korean Society for New and Renewable Energy, Vice Chairperson of the Green Growth and International Cooperation Sub-Commission, of Presidential Commission on Carbon Neutrality and Green Growth, and a member of International Cooperation Sub-commission of K-Circular Economy Forum.
Talk ConcertMelati Wijsen
Founder / Bye Bye Plastic Bags & YOUTHTOPIA
Melati is 22 years old full time changemaker and movement builder. She founded Bye Bye Plastic Bags at the age of 12, since then, Melati has spoken on world stages such as TED and the UN, she recently co-chaired the World Economic Forum GPAP committee, sat on the inaugural Expert Advisory Panel for the Earthshot Prize, and has had her film, Bigger Than Us, premiere at the 74th Cannes Film Festival 2021. Today, Melati launched her new company, YOUTHTOPIA, focusing on youth empowerment through short, meaningful peer to peer programs and providing them the tools they need to be changemakers. Her vision is to make YOUTHTOPIA the go to platform for young changemakers.
Talk ConcertChae-Jin Lee
CEO / Kokkirigongjang
Chae-Jin Lee, CEO of Elephant Factory, is the CEO of a company that is creating a system that circulates waste toys.
We are working with 40,000 child welfare institutions across the country to make toys that will be discarded reusable and to develop technologies and establish processes to make non-recyclable toys into recycled materials. It contributed to reducing environmental pollution by circulating more than 300 tons of toys that will be discarded annually.
We are interested in supporting vulnerable children and reducing environmental pollution through the reuse and recycling of toys.
CEO of Elephant Factory, Chairman of Green Move Workshop, and received a master’s degree in children’s studies from Ulsan University.
Talk ConcertJong-Hwa Won
CEO / Foresys Co., Ltd.
Jong-Hwa Won is the CEO of Foresys Co., Ltd. established in 2017. He earned a bachelor’s degree in Civil and Environmental Engineering and a Ph.D. in Applied Mechanics from Yonsei University, Seoul, Korea. He is working as an expert in Korea and abroad in recognition of his expertise in research, policy, and engineering in the energy and marine environment field, including renewables. In particular, he has made business achievements in river debris management and industrial materialization of marine waste. He is a member of the Organization Committee of the 7th International Marine Debris Conference held in Busan last year and an expert on the Management and handling of shipboard waste on inland navigation vessels. He is dreaming to establish a virtuous cycle value chain from preventing and collecting marine debris to resource circulation and value-conscious consumption.
Talk ConcertEun-Won Choi
Executive Director / Korea Marine Conservation Network
Eun-Won Choi, executive director of the Korea Marine Conservation Network, is an environmental activist with passion and knowledge for environmental protection and restoration of the marine ecosystem.
She is playing a pivotal role in leading the Korea Marine Conservation Network, a consultative body of 20 marine conservation organizations nationwide launched in 21st year, and promoting various activities such as reducing marine pollution, restoring the marine ecosystem, and researching marine waste treatment methods.
As a representative example, she connects collaboration between citizens, government agencies, and companies to support sea cleanup activities, and continues research activities on the upcycling of marine plastics (Other materials).
She is also a representative of ‘Project Question’, a social enterprise that discovers and spreads social problems with citizens.
She received a master’s degree in social enterprise MBA from the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology and a bachelor’s degree in English Literature and Business Administration from Sungkyunkwan University.
Talk ConcertJun-Ho Song
Editor / IMPACTON
Jun-Ho Song is a senior reporter at a media company, IMPACT ON that focus on ESG issues. IMPACT ON provides information about ESG ecosystem through articles on the latest ESG issues, trends, and the analysis of experts. IMPACT ON has contributed to the sustainability ecosystem in various ways, including corporate ESG training, conferences, and research document and green journalism education. Junho Song, a team Leader, is dedicated to increasing the awareness on sustainable future as a writer, professional lecturer, mentor, and co-author of “ESG Handbook” and “S in ESG” by SK Center for Social Value Enhancement Studies (CSES). He majored in Scandinavian languages and Political Science and Dipolomacy at Hankuk University of Foreign Studies and International Peace Studies at Kyung Hee University Graduate Institute of Peace Studies. Before arriving at IMPACT ON, he served as the CEO of the non-profit human rights media ‘MediaNoon’, where he is a board member.
Talk ConcertBo-Min Son
Leader / The Policy Monitoring Team / U-savers of Climate Change Center's
the Youth Climate Ambassador
U-Savers are the Climate Change Center’ youth ambassador voluntarily engaging in climate change response under the slogan of ‘You Save the Earth, You save Us’. As the future generation which is both victims and actors of climate impacts, the number of 439 U-Savers have raised citizens’ awareness on climate change by implementing in various on and off campaigns since 2012. As turned 16th years in 2023, the Policy Monitoring Team involves in improving policy information, and providing feedback to reframe and revise policies at the citizens’ level. Bomin Son studies in environmental engineering in Ewha Womans University. As well as a leader of the team, she also leads the 12th Korean University Student Delegation at the United Nations Headquarters and the International Leadership Association(AIESEC in EWHA). In order to contribute for world peace, she has stepped forward to solve environmental problems.