M-RCBG Senior Fellow-Led Study Group: Han-koo Yeo
Friday, March 7, 10:00-11:15am B-L-4 (Belfer Bldg., L-level, Rm. 4)
With the expertise of former trade ministers from South Korea and Indonesia, this study group will explore how the Indo-Pacific nations are adapting to the evolving landscape of international trade amid escalating tensions during the Trump administration. The discussion will focus on strategies like China Plus One, as well as the broader implications of trade and technological decoupling. The study group will examine how companies and countries across the Indo-Pacific are recalibrating their supply chains and trading strategies, aiming to mitigate risks and capitalize on new opportunities presented by these shifts.
Gita Wirjawan, former Trade Minister of Indonesia and current Belfer Center visiting fellow will join the discussion with Mr. Han-koo Yeo, M-RCBG senior fellow and former Trade Minister of Korea.
This study group / discussion is open to all HUID holders. Registration is not necessary.
M-RCBG welcomes individuals with disabilities to participate in its programs. To request accommodations or ask questions about access provided, please email: mrcbg@hks.harvard.edu
Han-koo Yeo, former trade minister of the Republic of Korea, has been senior fellow at the Peterson Institute for International Economics since June 2023. His research focuses on international trade policy, industrial policy, supply chain resilience, and economic security and international trade negotiations including the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework (IPEF) and the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP). Yeo completed almost three decades of public service as trade minister of the Republic of Korea in 2022, in the final year of the Moon Jae-in presidency. A veteran international trade negotiator, Yeo has been involved in a number of bilateral and multilateral trade negotiations, including as the chief negotiator for the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), Korea-UK Free Trade Agreement, Korea–Central America Free Trade Agreement, Korea-Indonesia Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement, and Korea-Philippines Free Trade Agreement. He was also an original participant in developing the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework for Prosperity. While serving as commercial attaché at the Korean Embassy in Washington, he was involved in amendment negotiations of the Korea-US Free Trade Agreement and Section 232 steel negotiations. As Korean minister of trade, he oversaw conventional trade negotiations, export controls, and investment screening. Yeo also led negotiations for Korea's export control measures against Russia in response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine. A graduate of Seoul National University, Yeo has served as visiting professor at the Seoul National University Business School, teaching international trade, negotiation, and economic security issues. Yeo holds an MBA from Harvard Business School and an MPA from Harvard Kennedy School. Yeo’s research project at the M-RCBG will focus on analyzing how US economic security, trade and industrial policy affects trade patterns, FDI flows, supply chains and the industrial landscape in the Indo-Pacific and providing policy recommendations for the U.S. and other countries for their trade and industrial policy. His faculty sponsor is Robert Lawrence, Albert L. Williams Professor of International Trade and Investment at Harvard Kennedy School. Email: hyeo@hks.harvard.edu