Invited Panelist by the Asian Development Bank Institute on High-Speed Rail in the Republic of
Korea (ROK), 26 August 2026.
It was a privilege to be invited by the Asian Development Bank Institute (ADBI), placed in Tokyo,
to participate as an invited panelist in the Webinar series Policy Considerations for National High-
Speed Rail (HSR) Network Development – Cases in the Republic of Korea (ROK).
I contributed with a pan-European, policy-oriented perspective, drawing on my experience as a
former speaker on HSR at the European Parliament and on research conducted in collaboration with
leading European and international institutions, including the University of Oxford, ETH Zurich,
Paris-Est, Beijing Jiaotong University, and Tongji University.
As Convenor of the International Symposium on HSR Socioeconomic Impacts and Vice-Chair of
the UIC Alliance of Universities for HSR, I also brought a global academic-network perspective to
the discussion, with a particular focus on how the broader socioeconomic impacts of HSR can be
effectively assessed and incorporated into policy and investment decisions.
A special thanks goes to Dr. K.E. Seetha Ram, Senior Consulting Specialist at ADBI, and to his
outstanding team, Nighia Nguyen and Jiwon Lee, for their precious support.
