Soohyun Kim

Ms. Soohyun Kim assumed her duties as Regional Director of the UNESCO Regional Office in Bangkok and Representative to Thailand, Myanmar, Lao People’s Democratic Republic, and Singapore on 1 October 2023.

With nearly 25 years of service in the United Nations system and the Foreign Service of the Republic of Korea, Ms. Kim brings extensive experience in development, political and humanitarian affairs, as well as in advancing the rights of women and children.

Prior to joining UNESCO, Ms. Kim held a number of senior leadership and advisory positions across the UN system. Most recently, she led UNFPA’s engagement in intergovernmental forums and inter-agency coordination at UN Headquarters in New York. Previously, she served as Senior Advisor managing UNICEF’s global partnership with the World Bank and international financial institutions, and as Head of the UNICEF Office in Seoul, Republic of Korea. She also directed coordination and partnership efforts at OCHA, both at the Regional Office for the Syria Crisis in Amman, Jordan, and at Headquarters in New York. From 2010 to 2014, she served with UNDP, in the Bureau of External Relations and Advocacy and the Executive Office of the Administrator.

Ms. Kim began her career with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Korea, where she held various positions, including Advisor to the Deputy Foreign Minister for Global Affairs; Deputy Director for UN Affairs; Assistant Director in the Middle East and Africa Bureau and the International Economics Bureau; and Senior Officer in the Human Rights and Social Affairs Division and the Eastern Europe Division. She was also seconded to the Korean Peninsula Energy Development Organization (KEDO), where she served in the Light Water Reactor Project Office.

Ms. Kim holds a Master’s degree in International Relations from Yale University (United States) and a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science and International Affairs from Yonsei University (Republic of Korea).