June PARK
Senior Research Fellow
Middle East Institute, National University of Singapore
Education
June Park obtained her Ph.D. in Political Science (International Relations & International Political Economy) from Boston University. Her dissertation, Trade Wars & Currency Conflict: China, Japan, and South Korea’s Responses to U.S. Protectionism, 1971-2013, examined East Asian responses to U.S. protectionist policies. As part of her research, she conducted fieldwork at the Institute of Social Science, University of Tokyo (2010–2011), and the School of International Studies, Peking University (2011–2012).
She holds a Master of Arts in Political Science (International Relations & International Security) from Korea University, where she wrote her thesis on Legal Initiatives of the United States on the United Nations Military & Economic Sanctions Regime (2007).
She also earned a Bachelor of Arts from Korea University, majoring in Political Science with a minor in Journalism (2005).
Professional Appointments
June Park is a member of the Helsinki Geoeconomics Society in Finland, a role she has held since August 2024.
Since August 2023, she has been affiliated with the Middle East Council on Global Affairs (formerly Brookings Doha Center) in Qatar. She initially joined as a Visiting Fellow (2023–2024) and currently serves as a Non-Resident Fellow. Her research focuses on ROK-GCC Relations: Energy, Technology, and Security.
She has been a Non-Resident Fellow at the National Bureau for Asian Research – Center for Trade, Innovation, and Strategy in Washington, DC, since 2022. Her work includes projects on South Korea’s data privacy and public health policies and 5G connectivity and data governance.
Since 2020, she has also been an Expert at Duco Experts in San Francisco, providing geopolitical risk and tech policy advisory services to major U.S. tech firms in Silicon Valley.
Research Areas
June Park's research focuses on geoeconomic conflicts in digital and green transitions, with a particular emphasis on AI governance. Her work revolves around the 5Cs of the digital economy:
- Export controls on semiconductors (chips)
- Mobility AI (connected vehicles, including electric vehicles (EVs) and electric vertical take-off and landing aircraft (eVTOLs))
- AI data centers (cloud computing)
- 5G/6G networks (cables and connectivity infrastructure)
- Digital finance, including cryptocurrencies, stablecoins, and central bank digital currencies (CBDCs)
Her broader research interests include the geopolitics of emerging technologies and future industries, the international and regional political economy in the digital space, and geopolitical risk in digital and green transitions. She also explores digital trade and finance and the geoeconomics of key global regions, with a particular focus on:
- East Asia (China, Japan, South Korea, North Korea) and U.S.-East Asia relations
- European economies (Germany, France, Netherlands)
- Gulf economies (Saudi Arabia, UAE, Qatar)
Other Information
June Park is a South Korean political economist focusing on digital trade, finance and emerging technologies, based in Singapore.
She observes geopolitical risk and emerging technologies with a focus on AI in East Asia, the U.S., Europe, and the Gulf.
She advises governments / high-tech industry, providing expertise and bringing together experts in industry, think-tanks, and academia.
