Title: GPEP Feature: Sojun Park

Sojun Park is a 2024-2025 GPEP affiliate and a PhD candidate at Princeton University. He holds BAs in International Studies and Economics from Korea University. Read his self-introduction below!

1. What excites you about the GPEP fellowship?

I am particularly excited about the interactive and collaborative research environment that the fellowship will provide. This includes regular meetings between GPEP fellows and faculty, workshops and research seminars hosted (bi)weekly by other faculty in the Walsh School of Foreign Service, guest speaker series at the Mortara Center, and daily small talks during coffee breaks. I am eager to see how the GPEP fellowship will foster knowledge sharing and the exchange of new ideas.

2. What is your research about?

My research focuses on global governance of intellectual property rights and public health. Specifically, I study how governments and businesses navigate unpredictable trading environments, characterized by intellectual property infringement and pandemic outbreaks.

3. How did you become interested in your topic?

During my graduate studies at Princeton, it became clear to me that globalization not only introduces new opportunities but also poses new challenges. Central to those challenges, such as the US-China trade war and COVID-19 vaccine inequality, was the issue of intellectual property rights. Yet, I noticed that much of the existing research lacked a systematic approach to addressing this topic.

4. What is your favorite way to spend your spare time?

I enjoy running late in the afternoon while listening to music. It’s a great way for me to refresh and recharge. For this reason, I’ve been running around the Lincoln and Thomas Jefferson Memorials almost every day since I arrived in DC on August.

5. What would be some of the things you want to try or do in DC?

I want to explore opportunities that are unique to DC. In particular, I am interested in examining the impacts of special interest groups on U.S. foreign policy-making, with a focus on the pharmaceutical industry lobby for international patent protection. It is no surprise that both the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) and the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA) are based in DC.