Looking back at the Korea Foundation Guest Researcher Lieutenant General (ret.) Chun In-Bum’s stay in Stockholm

May 6, 2026: During his stay at ISDP as a guest researcher (April 4th – May 10th), Lieutenant General (Ret.) In-bum Chun, a three-star general of the Republic of Korea Army, engaged in a series of high-level exchanges across Stockholm, all around his research into how middle powers adapt their defense postures to shifting security environments, with a focus on cognitive warfare, critical maritime infrastructure, and alliance adaptation.

His activities included:
– A roundtable discussion with experts from FOI (Swedish Defence Research Agency), exploring the intersections of cognitive warfare and Sweden’s total defence concept
– A visit to the Swedish Ministry of Foreign Affairs
– Serving as the opening Keynote Speaker at the Taiwan-Nordic 2026 Forum, whose topic this year was “Resilience as Defense.”
– A focused dialogue on critical maritime infrastructure with Dr. Pierre Thévenin (SIPRI), drawing comparative insights from the Baltic Sea and the Korean Peninsula
A meeting with H.E. Lee Hyung-Jong, South Korea’s Ambassador to Sweden
– All of this culminating on a guest lecture on “Cognitive Warfare: Current Reality and Operational Implications” at the Swedish Defence University

Lt. Gen. Chun’s research at ISDP has examined how democratic middle powers can build resilience against cognitive threats, protect critical assets, and adapt alliance strategies, bringing invaluable Nordic and European perspectives into that work.

All of this was possible thanks to The Korea Foundation, whose generous support has made this research stay and these meaningful exchanges possible.

Thanks too to all partners and experts who contributed to a rich and productive month of dialogue.