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On February 3 (Monday) at 10:30 a.m., the Graduate School of Governance held the opening ceremony for the 2025 domestic training program for international environmental experts, hosted by the Ministry of Environment and organized by the Korea Environment Corporation. The event took place at the Sohyang Lecture Hall in the 600th Anniversary Building, marking the beginning of the three-week domestic training.

The international environmental expert training program is designed to train professionals who can actively respond to the global demand for environmental cooperation. Since 2023, the Graduate School of Governance has successfully hosted this program for three consecutive years. The program selects top talents of Korean nationality through a competitive process and provides them with specialized environmental education and global competency training, with the goal of developing hands-on international environmental experts equipped with both theoretical knowledge and practical skills. The training spans 80 hours over three weeks, offering specialized knowledge in international environmental issues and essential competencies for working in international organizations.

The opening ceremony was attended by 50 participants from the 17th training cohort, Lee Hyung-seop, head of the Ministry of Environment's International Cooperation Division, Ha Jung-won, director of the Global Strategy Office at the Korea Environment Corporation, along with three other officials. Representing the university were Moon-Ki Jung, Dean of the Graduate School of Governance, Associate Professor Dong-Sung Lee, the head of the program and Chair of the Department of Public Administration, as well as research associates Dr. Kwon Jun-yi, Kim Sung-geun, and Kim Mi-re-sae.

The ceremony included congratulatory speeches from Dean Moon-Ki Jung, Director Lee Hyung-seop from the Ministry of Environment, and Director Ha Jung-won from the Korea Environment Corporation. The event concluded with a speech by cohort representative Lee Cheong-won. Dean Moon-Ki Jung encouraged the participants, saying, "The meaning of this program will differ for each participant. I hope it becomes not just a knowledge acquisition process but a valuable experience in learning the importance of cooperation among peers. This will be a significant asset beyond just being an environmental expert."

Director Lee Hyung-seop from the Ministry of Environment shared, "The Ministry of Environment and the Korea Environment Corporation have operated this training program for international environmental experts with great interest for the past 17 years. Many talented individuals have completed the domestic program and have since gained practical experience in environmental international organizations, actively contributing to the international community. Although the three-week period is short, I believe that if you dedicate yourself to learning about international organizations with enthusiasm, you will all achieve great results."

Director Ha Jung-won from the Korea Environment Corporation added, "As an educational institution, we expect Sungkyunkwan University to equip participants with global competencies, helping them advance into the international organizations they aspire to join."

Throughout the training, various experts working in environmental fields will give lectures to the participants. On February 6 (Thursday), Dr. Ali Waqas Malik, Acting Ambassador of the Embassy of Pakistan in Korea, will give a special lecture. On February 7 (Friday), Dr. Nafissa Insebayeva from UNU-IAS will lecture on the topic of "Climate Justice." On February 11 (Tuesday), representatives from the UN Division of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs will present "The Status and Efforts of Korean Nationals Entering International Organizations."

Furthermore, participants who complete the domestic training with excellent performance will be given the opportunity to work as interns at international organizations focused on environmental issues, such as the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), UNESCO, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), and the Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI), both domestically and abroad.