Theme: THINK Global

TEDxDongdaemun is a half-day event, with an expected audience of 100, prepared organized by a community of motivated and enthusiastic foreign students living here in South Korea.

Our main goal is to bring together a host of bright minds to give talks on a wide range of subjects. These idea focused talks hope to foster learning, inspiration and wonder - and provoke conversations that matter.

The event will feature a group of leading thinkers, innovators and entertainers representing such diverse field as technology, visual and performance art, design, music, economic and education, delivering brief (no longer than 18-minutes) talks that engage the audience.

Nowadays, more than 95,000 foreign students, over 5,000 of them Mongolian students, are studying in South Korea. Sadly, many of the foreign students do have an adequate opportunity to meet and exchange ideas and build networks between each other – that’s where we come in.

We intend to introduce a diverse range of speakers to our audience members, who also come from a range of different nationalities, in the hopes they can network and share together.

We hope that the TEDxDongdaemun event can provide a unique opportunity for all involved.

"Dongdaemun" means is District (Dongdaemun-gu) one of the 25 gu (districts) of Seoul, South Korea. In other words "Dongdaemun" means the gate in the east. During the Joseon Dynasty (1500-1900's) Hanyang (Seoul old name) existed in the east of the city. The name caught on because of the location of the Dongdaemun Gate.
It currently specifies one treasure arc, because in the past doors were developed from the old city was transportation. People from various countries such as Mongolia, Russia and Uzbekistan entered the Dongdaemun textile market and turned Gwanghui-Dong into the “Silk Road” of Seoul.

“TED is a think tank for humanity. It is a gathering of exceptional individuals, all with the ability to make a difference. We come, we listen, we participate, we learn, we apply and we improve.
At its core, TED is a community built on innovation and invention, and this is consistent with our principles. We also sponsor TED because it inspires us and helps inform our thinking, both personally and professionally, throughout the year.”
— Don Levy, Senior Vice President, Sony Pictures

Best regards,
On behalf of whole TEDxDongdaemun team

640 Art Tower
서울 강남구 신사동 640-11 "640 아트타워"
640-11, Sinsa-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, South Korea
Seoul, Seoul Teugbyeolsi, 06017
South Korea

Casey Lartigue Jr

Co-Founder of /Teach North Korean Refugees

Casey Lartigue is an advocate and activist for freedom who has gained recognition in both South Korea and the United States. He is now based in South Korea where he is co-founder and International Director of the Teach North Korean Refugees Global Education Center. In April 2017, he was awarded the "Special Contribution" prize by the Hansarang Rural Cultural Foundation. He has a master's degree from the Harvard Graduate School of Education and a bachelor's degree from the Harvard University Extension School.

Eunkoo Lee

Co-Founder of TNKR /Teach North Korean Refugees/

She previously was a researcher with the Korean Development Institute; her focus was on young North Korean refugees in South Korea. Before that, she was a researcher at Database Center for North Korean human rights and published internal white papers on North Korean human rights from 2007 to 2009 as a departmental co-author. She has a master’s degree in North Korean Studies from Ewha University in South Korea, as well as a master’s degree in International Studies from The University of Sheffield. Eunkoo has recently been accepted to undertake a PhD at the Graduate School of International Studies at Ewha Womans University. While pursuing her PhD, she will strive to grow TNKR to serve the growing number of North Kor Eunkoo has recently been accepted to undertake a PhD at the Graduate School of International Studies at Ewha Womans University. While pursuing her PhD, she will strive to grow TNKR to serve the growing number of North Korean refugees hoping to benefit from TNKR's services.

Javkhlant Ragchaa

Investment Manager

Javkhlant Rg is an investment manager at Daelim Industrial, one of the largest construction and infrastructure developer in Korea. He is specialized in structured financing and infrastructure deals. Prior to joining Daelim, he held derivative analyst position at the hedge fund in Korea and research assistant in Korea Stock Exchange. For TEDx, he will share his experiences from global markets. He received a master degree in financial engineering from Korea University and master degree public policy from Korea Development Institute. In fact, he has lived in three different countries and worked in different fields. He has been one of the best proponents and leader of the "Mongolian Students Association in Korea" and "Mongolian Association of Graduates In Korea" for several years.

Josh Wedlock

Linguistics Teacher

Joshua Wedlock has a double Masters Degree in Applied Linguistics and TESOL from Macquarie University and currently works as an EFL teacher and teacher trainer in Seoul, South Korea. When Josh is not working he dedicates his time to pursuing a Ph.D (which means he is currently completing a Masters of Research at Macquarie University) and running a free online education portal to help EFL/ESL teachers deliver high-quality education to their students. Having three year’s stage experience as a stand-up comedian in London (United Kingdom), eight years’ experience as a fitness trainer, and a decade’s worth of experience as a teacher, Josh’s unique background has allowed him to meet hundreds, if not thousands, of people.

Laila Kasuri

Water Engineer (Consultant)

Ms. Kasuri graduated with highest honors from Harvard University and has been awarded the President’s Award for Excellence from the US Army Corps of Engineers and the Hoopes Award for Outstanding Academic Research at Harvard University. Her work has been published in the Water Policy Journal, the Harvard College Review of Environment and Society and the Handbook of Applied Hydrology, McGraw-Hill, among others. When she is not working on rivers, she likes writing on life, travel, politics and all things in between.

Tuvshinkhuu Purevsuren

Research Engineer

Түвшинхүү Пүрэвсүрэн (Tuvi) She is a research engineer analyzing, implementing and testing embedded devices that will bring safe and reliable system into the healthcare world. She is also a formal volunteer at "SAFE INFANTS", nonprofit organization. As such this organization's vision was to grant an access of exceptional medical care to all children in Mongolia. http://www.saveinfants.mn/?page_id=80 She is always inspired by the different lifestyles all around the world. Every country has its own unique culture and characteristics. She wants to discover more about these different lifestyles and learn from the local people. She has made her Master of Engineering degree on Information Security from Inha University in South Korea. She also has a Bachelor of Science on Information Technology from Singhad College of Engineering at Pune University in India. Tuvi is interested in swimming and reading.

Zahid Hussain

Pakistan Representative at "Non Summit Meeting" Korean Entertainment TV Show

Zahid Hussain​ has recently appointed as the Promotion Ambassador of Korean Hockey Association by the honorable Chairman. The reason behind his appointed mainly is that established the first ever Foreigners Hockey Team in Korea namely “Namsan Tigers” in 2016. With this team, they have increased the level of interest in Hockey for foreigners as well as Koreans. Also known Permanent Representative of Pakistan in Talk Show called “Non-Summit Meeting” from JTBC Since he came to Korea, always wanted to let people know what Pakistan really is and also letting Pakistanis know what Korea really is and become a tiny bridge between these two beautiful countries.

오 루 비 Orubi

Telephone Customer Consultants - 고객삼당사

Orubi, who has been a KT customer center consultant for over two years now. 109 cm tall tiny spine and legs, such as bones that do not grow properly bending a low cartilage formation She was born with a rare disease. It was difficult to figure it out. As if she wanted, to smile at the cold gaze of the gazing people. 'Not cool eyes, helping you live She began to work on counseling to help customers with their voices.