GYEONGGI-DO, SOUTH KOREA, February 5, 2021, Marquis Who’s Who, the world’s premier publisher of biographical profiles, is proud to present Jaewan Bahk, PhD, with the Albert Nelson Marquis Lifetime Achievement Award. An accomplished listee, Dr. Bahk celebrates many years’ experience in his professional network, and has been noted for achievements, leadership qualities, and the credentials and successes he has accrued in his field. As in all Marquis Who’s Who biographical volumes, individuals profiled are selected on the basis of current reference value. Factors such as position, noteworthy accomplishments, visibility, and prominence in a field are all taken into account during the selection process.
Well regarded for his indelible contributions to the government of South Korea, Dr. Bahk’s incredible career has spanned close to four decades and has involved numerous appointments in the nonprofit, private and academic sectors. Currently, he serves as the president of the Hansun Foundation for Peace and Prosperity of the Korean Peninsula, a private research organization established in 2006, whose mission is to develop and promote public policy, contribute to the advancement of the country and seek reunification with North Korea. In 2020, Dr. Bahk was also named as the board chairperson and independent director of Samsung Electronics.
Instrumental in academia for more than two decades, Dr. Bahk excelled a faculty member of Sungkyunkwan University from 1996 to 2020. During the course of his tenure, he was a professor and dean of the Graduate School of Governance and the president of the Social Sciences Research Institute on campus. Likewise, Dr. Bahk has supported his local and extended community by serving on various government committees. He was notably impactful as the chairperson of the government’s budget watch committee and as the chairperson of the policy coordination committee for the Citizen’s Coalition for Economic Justice.
Bearing an extensive background, which has included appointments with the Government of Korea for over a decade, Dr. Bahk notably served as the senior secretary to the president for political affairs, the senior secretary to the president for national vision, agenda and strategy, the minister of employment and labor and the minister of strategy and finance between the years of 2008 and 2013. He was also elected to the Korean legislative branch, where he served in several capacities, including as a member of the 17th National Assembly between 2004 and 2008. Additionally, Dr. Bahk simultaneously served as the chief of staff to the president of the Grand National Party between 2006 and 2008.
An alumnus of Seoul National University, Dr. Bahk received a Bachelor of Arts in economics in 1977. He was later accepted to Harvard University in the U.S., where he earned a master’s degree and a Doctor of Philosophy in public policy in 1988 and 1992, respectively. Featured as an Honest Korean in the Wall Street Journal in the U.S. in 2012, Dr. Bahk was also named as the Best Role Model Boss by the Korean Ministry of Strategy and Finance in 2013.