About the Speaker

Alexander Vorontsov heads the Section for Korean Studies in the Institute of Oriental Studies at the Russian Academy of Sciences. He also holds several other educational posts, including professor at the Russian Federation Military Science Academy, leading researcher at the International Center for Korea Studies of Moscow M.V. Lomonosov State University, and visiting professor at the Institute for Asian Studies at the Osaka University of Economy and Law in Japan. Vorontsov also served in the Russian Federation Foreign Ministry as second secretary in the P’yongyang Embassy from 2000 to 2002. A specialist in Asia-Pacific international relations and contemporary Korean issues, Vorontsov has presented numerous papers at international conferences around the world, including both South and North Korea, Japan, Germany and Paris. He studied at Moscow M.V. Lomonosov State University, Pyongyang University, and the Institute of Oriental Studies at the USSR Academy of Sciences, where he earned a Ph.D. in history.