Ambassador Lee Joon-gyu is the Chairman of the Asan Institute for Policy Studies. He is also the Chairman of the Korean Council on Foreign Relations. He served for almost 40 years as a career diplomat until 2017. Previously, he served as the Korean Ambassador to New Zealand (2006-2009), India (2012-2015), and Japan (2016-2017). He passed the High Diplomatic Service Examination and joined the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA, 1987). Ambassador Lee also served in the Korean Permanent Observer Mission to the UN in New York and as a Director of Planning and Research Division at the Institute of Foreign Affairs and National Security (IFANS), MOFA. He worked as Deputy Director-General of Asian and Pacific Affairs Bureau, Director-General of Overseas Koreans and Consular Affairs Bureau, and Ambassador for Overseas Koreans and Consular Affairs, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MOFAT). Ambassador Lee was Chancellor of the IFANS. Ambassador Lee received his Bachelor of Arts (1976) and Master of Arts (1978) in Law from Seoul National University.