Dr. Inwon Choue, the 13th President of Kyung Hee University, is a political scientist who has pioneered the study of what he calls the "Esthetic Space in Life and Politics." He wishes to reconstitute the "Real Politik" through creative union of reason and emotions, humans and institution, the reality and the romantic. The future society he envisages is centered on humans and to be achieved through discourses on "transcendental engagement." He seeks to transcend today's real politics where ideological confrontations and struggles prevail. As scholar cum social practitioner, Dr. Choue has provided numerous agenda and proposals to the government, mass media, civil society, and international organizations. He served as a member of the Transition Committee of the President of the Republic of Korea to Establish National Visions(1997), Head of the Planning Committee of the 1999 Seoul International Conference of NGOs(1999), and Chairman of the Committee for the Global NGO Complex(2000-). He is a man committed to the search of new ways for human societies in the 21st century.

A career diplomat, Mr. Sha Zukang became the United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs (UNDESA) on 1 July, 2007. He also chairs the United Nations Executive Committee on Economic and Social Affairs. Mr. Sha Zukang has varied experience with multilateral organizations and international conferences. He was Coordinator of the Like-Minded Group of the Commission on Human Rights and the Human Rights Council from 2004 to 2007, Chairman of the Preparatory Committee and Chairman of the Committee of the Whole, United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) 11th session from 2003 to 2004, President of the Trade and Development Board, 50th Session of UNCTAD, Chairperson of the Government group of the Governing Body of the International Labour Organization from 2002 to 2003, and member of the UN Secretary-General’s Advisory Board on Disarmament matters from 1994 to 1999. In addition, he has served as president, vice president, chairperson, coordinator and expert in many international conferences in the field of arms control, trade, intellectual property, social affairs, and telecommunications, among others.

Han Seung-soo is Prime Minister of the Republic of Korea. He served as Special Envoy of the UN Secretary-General on Climate Change and sat on the UN Secretary-General’s Advisory Board on Water and Sanitation. He also chaired a High-level Expert Panel on Water and Disaster/UNSGAB. Educated at Yonsei University(BA), Seoul National University(MPA) and the University of York, UK(Ph.D. 1968/ D.Univ. 1997), he was President of the 56th Session of the United Nations General Assembly(2001-02), Korea’s Minister of Foreign Affairs(2001-02), Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance(1996-97), Chief of Staff to the President(1994-95), Korean Ambassador to the United States(1993-94) and Minister of Trade and Industry(1988-90). He was a three-term Member of National Assembly representing his hometown, Chuncheon in Gangwon Province(1988-2004). Before entering politics, he was Professor of Economics at Seoul National University(1970-88). He has many publications, the most recent one being Beyond the Shadow of 9/11 ; A Year at the United Nations General Assembly (SAIS, Washington, DC, 2007). He received the Nobel Peace Prize on behalf of the United Nations in 2001 and was awarded an Honorary Knighthood (KBE) from HM Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom in 2004.

José Ramos-Horta is the second President of East Timor. He was Prime Minister and Minister of Defence (July 2006 - May 2007) of the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste. He is a Nobel Peace Prize Laureate. Dr. Ramos-Horta priorities are to ensure that his people enjoy peace and security in a strong prosperous, proud, and democratic country. He is dedicated to eradicating poverty in his country through improved public health and education, and through provision of an environment where business can thrive providing employment for his people. At the same time he has been working towards normalization of relation with Indonesia, developing relations with neighbors, and being an active participant of –but not uncritically- The United Nations system. He advocates UN reform at many levels from its bloated bureaucracy to a new Human Rights Council truly representing human rights values.

Dr. Hans D’Orville, born in 1949, a German national, is the Assistant Director-General for Strategic Planning at UNESCO since October 2007. He also is the principle UNESCO representative for all matters relating to UN reform and interagency affairs. In addition to this, he directs two successful public-private partnership programmes: the UNESCO/Daimler Mondialogo Project and the UNESCO/SonyEricsson World Tennis Association Partnership for Gender Equality. D'Orville served as Director of Information Technologies (IT) for Development, in the Bureau for Development Policy of the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), from 1996 to 2000. He has also served as a member of the Executive Committee of the Africa Leadership Forum; an advisor to the Independent Commission of Population and Quality of Life and the Independent Commission on Forests and Sustainable Development, and Senior Advisor to the Valencia Tercer Milenio Program. D'Orville holds a Ph.D and a Master's Degree in Economics from the University of Konstanz, Germany.

Mr. Seok Hyun Hong, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of JoongAng Ilbo, the most widely read daily newspaper in Korea. After studying electronics engineering at Seoul National University he obtained a doctorate in economics from Stanford University. Dr. Hong has worked at the World Bank, and was also Senior Fellow at the Korea Development Institute, and Senior Executive Vice President of Samsung Corning Inc. He was elected President of the World Association of Newspapers in 2002, and President of the Korean Newspapers Association in 2003. In 2005 he served as the Korean Ambassador to the United States.