Hannah Heewon Seo is the Events Administrator at The Australia Institute, a public policy think tank based in Canberra, Australia.
Hannah has previously worked with a range of international affairs organisations, including government-funded agencies, non-profit organisations, and think tanks in both the Republic of Korea and Australia. Her experience includes positions at the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA), the Asia Exchange Association (AEA), and the Australian Institute of International Affairs (AIIA). She has managed several major international conferences, such as the 14th Seoul ODA International Conference, the 9th ASEAN–Korea Frontier Forum, and Australia’s Role in Korea’s Indo-Pacific Strategy Policy Forum.
Her professional interests centre on foreign relations and diplomacy, particularly in the Asia-Pacific region and non-traditional security issues. In 2022, she received the Excellence Award from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Korea for her diplomatic policy proposal. In 2024, she won First Place (Essay) in the 6th AWP Global Youth Contest on the Women, Peace, and Security Agenda from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Korea.
Residing abroad, Hannah is passionate about promoting South Korea through public diplomacy. She co-authored “A Next-Generation Agenda: ROK–US–Australia Security Cooperation Issue Brief” with the Atlantic Council and has published articles in the East Asia Forum and Australian Outlook. She was also selected as the Korean representative at the 2nd Korea–Australia Future Youth Forum, where she presented in the session People-to-People Links, co-hosted by the Korea Foundation and the Australia–Korea Foundation.
Hannah holds a Bachelor of International Relations from the Australian National University, with a major in Development Studies and minors in Asia-Pacific Politics and International Relations. She received the Chancellor’s Letter of Commendation for academic excellence with a 7.00 (High Distinction) average.