Korea

Rusk Center’s Lindsay Weinmann attends Inaugural Korea-Georgia Dialogue

Lindsay Weinmann, Administrative Specialist of the University of Georgia School of Law’s Dean Rusk International Law Center, attended the Korea-Georgia Dialogue in May. The inaugural event was hosted by Columbus State University’s Korea-Institute (KICS), directed by Dr. Daewoo Lee, at the Cunningham Center.

Columbus State University’s website describes the event as follows:

The Korea–Georgia Dialogue is the premier signature forum hosted by Columbus State University to strengthen strategic, economic and cultural connections between the Republic of Korea and the State of Georgia. As Georgia becomes a key hub for Korean investment from companies like Hyundai and SK, this event serves as a vital statewide convener for government, industry and academic stakeholders. Through expert panels and keynotes, it will foster cross-sector collaboration and durable international partnerships, while providing exclusive access to senior government, industry, diplomatic and thought leaders who are at the forefront of strategic, economic, and cultural relations between Georgia and South Korea.

The event is anchored by the Korean Institute at Columbus State (KICS), a vibrant center for research and diplomacy that supports Georgia’s growing global engagement. KICS leverages the university’s strategic location near a large Korean community and U.S. Army Fort Benning’s ROK Army detachment to lead workforce development and applied research efforts. By participating, stakeholders and influencers can engage directly with the expertise fueling the state’s economic growth and the U.S.-Korea alliance.

Weinmann joined the Rusk Center in 2026. Her primary responsibilities include overseeing the Center’s daily operations, coordinating event programming, and serving as a faculty assistant while supervising student workers. Weinmann graduated summa cum laude from the University of Georgia in 2025 with a double major in international affairs and Asian languages and literature, along with a minor in general business. Her academic focus included international security and Korean studies. As a fellow in the 2024–25 Richard B. Russell Security Leadership Program at the UGA Center for International Trade and Security, she conducted research on the security dilemma posed by rogue states, using North Korea as a case study to examine implications for foreign policy. 

South Korean Consul General Suh featured at Global Atlanta Consular Conversation

One of the Dean Rusk International Law Center’s current Visiting Research Scholars, Daesun Kim, Esq., attended last week’s Consular Conversation with Sangpyo Suh, the Consul General of Korea in Atlanta. This event, organized by one of the Center’s institutional partners, Global Atlanta, is part of an ongoing series presented by Miller & Martin PLLC. Below are some of Kim’s reflections of the event.

Consul General of South Korea in Atlanta Sangpyo Suh serves as his country’s top diplomatic in the Southeastern United States. In a wide-ranging conversation with Trevor Williams, Global Atlanta’s managing editor, Suh detailed his diplomatic service before his arrival in Atlanta, including: Korea’s Ambassador to the OECD; Korea’s Ambassador to Gabon; Head of Energy, Climate Change and Environment, United Nations Mission; and, most recently, Korea’s Ambassador to Pakistan.

Suh explained that he first came to Atlanta in the mid-90s to study English as a diplomat at Georgia State University. During that time, the population of Koreans in Georgia was around 10,000. Now, in 2023, the population exceeds 150,000 and is growing. Korean investments in Georgia reflect this trend, with over $12.5 billion allocated towards foreign direct investment projects in Georgia alone as part of the $30 to $40 billion annually invested in the United States. The Hyundai electric vehicle plant project, currently under construction near Savannah, is worth more than $7 billion alone. The number of Korean companies in Georgia has increased dramatically in recent years, and Suh hopes to continue to strengthen the economic ties between the Southeast and Korea.

Suh is aware of more than 250 Korean companies in the Southeast, including 150 in Georgia. Outside of automotive investment, there has been trade and investment activity in response to the IRA/ CHIPS Act, with collaborations focusing on semiconductors, EVs, and batteries. He believes that the region serves as an important regional base for these key industries of the future.

This year marks the 70th anniversary of the U.S.-ROK alliance. While the economic partnership between the U.S. and Korea has grown, so have the countries’ cultural ties. Suh talked about how the number of students in the U.S. studying the Korean language is exploding. He credits this in no small part to the soft power of what is known as K-culture, including Korean “K-pop” music, Korean cinema, and television. Suh views part of his role as Consul General to promote these cultural ties and find ways to further develop them.

Welcoming Maisie Hopkins and Daesun Kim, Visiting Scholars at Georgia Law’s Dean Rusk International Law Center

We at the University of Georgia School of Law Dean Rusk International Law Center are pleased to welcome to two Visiting Research Scholars:

● Maisie Hopkins is a Ph.D. candidate at the Utrecht University School of Governance in the Netherlands. She works jointly at Utrecht and another Dutch university, Leiden, on a project entitled “Complex Global Regulation and Corporate Crime.” Within the overarching frame of how complexity within global governance influences corporate crime and corporate regulatory compliance, Hopkins’ research focuses on how international regime complexity theory applies to specific cases of corporate crime in both the United States and the European Union. Hopkins holds prior law degrees from the University of Amsterdam in the Netherlands and University of Nottingham, England. She worked for a year as a Global Legal Department Intern at Reckitt, a British multinational consumer goods company.

Serving as her Georgia Law faculty sponsor is Professor Melissa J. “MJ” Durkee, who is the law school’s Associate Dean for International Programs, Director of the Dean Rusk International Law Center, and Allen Post Professor.

● Daesun Kim is undertaking a comparative administrative law research relating to Vietnam, where he has practiced for several years, and the United States. Specifically, he plans to conduct a comparative analysis of changed circumstances in the two countries’ public-private-partnership projects during the Covid-19 pandemic period. Kim’s practice specialties include public-private partnerships, foreign investments, and cross-border mergers and acquisitions, with a focus on Southeast Asian countries. Holder of a J.D. degree from Handong Global University and a B.A. degree from Chonnam National University, both in Korea, Kim has practiced in Seoul, Korea, and Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, at several prestigious law firms, including Shin & Kim LLC and Yulchon LLC, and also was a legal counsel at a Korean construction and energy company, POSCO E&C.

Serving as Kim’s Georgia Law faculty sponsor will be Professor Kent Barnett, Associate Dean for Academic Affairs and J. Alton Professor of Law.

These visits continue our Center’s long tradition of hosting, for brief or extended stays, scholars and researchers whose work touches on issues of international, comparative, or transnational law. Details and an online application to become a visiting scholar here.