Ahn Choong-young

By Kim Bo-eun

Ahn Choong-young, chair professor at Chungang University, received a commendation from the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Tuesday for his work in advancing economic cooperation between Korea and Japan.

The 72-year-old was recognized for his efforts to facilitate investments by Japanese companies in Korea while serving as the foreign investment ombudsman at the Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency (KOTRA) beginning in 2006.

The award ceremony was held at the residence of Japanese Ambassador to Korea Masatoshi Muto in central Seoul.

Ahn has served as the chairman of the Regulatory Reform Committee since 2010.

He was formerly president of the Korea International Economic Association between 2002 and 2005. He was also the chief of the Korea Institute for International Economic Policy.

In 2000, Ahn was awarded the NIRA Okita Award for Policy Research by the Japanese National Institute for Research Advancement (NIRA) under the Economic Planning Agency of Japan.

He started teaching at Chungang University in 1974 as a professor in the economics department. He is now a chair professor at the Graduate School of International Studies.

Ahn obtained his bachelor’s degree from Kyungpook National University, his master’s from the University of Hawaii and Ph.D. from Ohio State University.