The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and Asia Society Australia are pleased to invite you to the inaugural Richard Woolcott Lecture to be delivered by Dr Kyung-wha Kang, President and Chief Executive Officer of Asia Society and former foreign minister of the Republic of Korea. 

This new annual lecture series is being launched jointly by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and Asia Society Australia to celebrate the life of one of Australia’s most distinguished diplomats, Richard Woolcott AC. 

Richard served as Australia’s Ambassador to the Philippines and Indonesia, Permanent Representative to the United Nations and Secretary of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. After retiring from government, he led the establishment of Asia Society Australia and was a founding director, alongside Hugh Morgan AC. 

Each year the Richard Woolcott lecture will invite a speaker from Asia to provide a regional perspective on Australia. The theme is a tribute to Richard’s abiding interest in, and contributions to, Australia’s relations with Asia.

Prior to her appointment as the President and CEO of Asia Society, Dr. Kang served as the first female Minister of Foreign Affairs of South Korea, from 2017 to 2021. She is a veteran diplomat in the Korean Foreign Ministry and the United Nations, holding positions in Seoul, New York, and Geneva. While at the UN she served as Senior Advisor on Policy to UN Secretary-General António Guterres, as well as Chief of his Transition Team. 

Date: Wednesday, 4 September  
Time: 6pm – 7:30 pm  
Venue: Canberra

Please note that this event is invite-only. Registration is essential. For any enquiries, please contact [email protected] 

This event is partnered with the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.