Director Kang Ki-chun is an educator and researcher specializing in economics. He was inaugurated as the 9th President of the Jeju Research Institute in December 2014. After studying economics at Korea University, Director Kang pursued further studies in the United States through Hana Bank and earned a Ph.D. in Economics from Iowa State University. Upon returning to Korea, he served as a Senior Researcher at Tongyang Securities, a Professor and Vice President of the Graduate School at Jeju National University, and a Visiting Researcher at the Bank of Korea. He has also held positions as a Visiting Researcher in Washington, D.C., a Visiting Researcher at Iowa State University, Director of the Social and Administrative Evaluation Research Team at the Board of Audit and Inspection, and Director of the Tourism and Management Economics Research Institute at Jeju National University. He currently serves as President of the Jeju Special Self-Governing Province Lifelong Education Promotion Institute and as a Member of the Presidential Committee for Regional Development, among other roles.