Woodside Energy has congratulated Professor Robert Breunig of the Australian National University (ANU) on his appointment as the third Visiting Professor of Australian Studies at Seoul National University (SNU), a role delivered under the Australia–Korea Foundation’s flagship academic initiative.
The Visiting Professor of Australian Studies program was established through a collaboration between SNU, the Australia–Korea Foundation and Woodside.
It is designed to strengthen academic, cultural and people-to-people links between Australia and the Republic of Korea, building durable ties between the two nations at a time when the broader relationship continues to expand across trade, energy, education and security.
Professor Breunig currently serves as Director of the Tax and Transfer Policy Institute at the Crawford School of Public Policy at ANU.
Over the course of his career, his research and policy leadership have made significant contributions to Australia’s public policy debate, spanning taxation, productivity, labour markets and economic wellbeing.
His appointment brings that expertise to a new international audience, positioning him to share Australian economic and policy perspectives with students, researchers and policymakers in Korea.
The announcement follows remarks delivered by Australian Foreign Minister Senator the Hon Penny Wong, who addressed the 47th Joint Meeting of the Australia–Korea Business Council and Korea–Australia Business Council in Adelaide, South Australia, on Wednesday.
In her opening address, Minister Wong highlighted the role the Australia–Korea Foundation plays in fostering new connections across business, education, science, technology, culture, the arts and sport, describing its work as central to broadening and strengthening the bilateral relationship for future generations.
“Relationships between countries are driven by interests, but they are sustained by people. And they must be reinforced, thoughtfully, deliberately and constantly by all of us,” said Minister Wong.
The Visiting Professor of Australian Studies program reflects this commitment, fostering enduring academic and intellectual connections between Australia and Korea while strengthening the people-to-people links that underpin the wider relationship.
By placing leading Australian academics within one of Korea’s most respected universities, the program creates opportunities for sustained engagement well beyond a single lecture series or research project.
During his tenure at SNU’s Graduate School of International Studies, Professor Breunig will teach, undertake research and take part in public outreach activities.
His work is expected to deepen knowledge of Australia within Korean academic and policy circles while strengthening collaboration across the Indo-Pacific region more broadly, an area of growing economic importance for both countries.
Professor Breunig’s appointment adds to a growing list of Australian academics who have taken part in the program since its establishment, each contributing to a body of scholarship and exchange that supports closer ties between Australia and Korea.
