Governor General of Canada, His Excellency the Right Honorable David Johnston Delivers Speech “With keen minds and kind hearts...Let’s make a smarter and more caring world” On February 25th, His Excellency the Right Honorable David Johnston, Governor General of Canada, visited Yonsei to give a special lecture at the Changgiwon International Conference Hall in the Yonsei-Samsung Library. Some 200 students from Yonsei and Seoul-area high schools, as well as several distinguished guests, warmly greeted Sir Johnston with a standing ovation. The lecture, organized by the Yonsei Leadership Center, was entitled: “Where the East Meets West: Canada, Korea and the Diplomacy of Knowledge.” Sir Johnston was in Korea to attend President Park Geun-hye’s Inauguration Ceremony, held earlier in the day, as Canada’s official representative. Appointed Governor General—the Queen’s official Canadian representative—by Queen Elizabeth II in 2010, Sir Johnston has had a distinguished career as an academic, writer, and statesman. Sir Johnston began his lecture by saying how honored he felt at having the privilege to witness President Park’s inauguration, and he emphasized that the ceremony was a “vivid expression of democracy.” 2013, he noted, marks the 50th anniversary of the establishment of full diplomatic relations between Canada and South Korea, and that relationship, he continued, is characterized by mutual trust and affection. The ties between Canada and Yonsei, though, he said, began much earlier, with the work of three Canadian missionaries: James Gale, William McKenzie, and Oliver Avison. The Korean-English dictionary authored by Gale helped to introduce Korea to the West, while his translation of the Bible into Korean was instrumental in spreading Christianity on the peninsula. McKenzie’s early advocacy on behalf of Korean women helped to pave the way for the election of Korea’s first female president, and the work of Avison, who was fundamental to the modernization of Korean medicine, led to the establishment of Severance Hospital. Citing the examples of these three missionaries, he said that the exchange and sharing of knowledge and expertise is the foundation for the diplomacy of knowledge. Sir Johnston explained: “Diplomacy of knowledge is possible with the willingness to work together across disciplines and borders. The actions we take should be designed to promote the interaction of expertise and disciplines regardless of geography.” He urged students, as global citizens, to develop “keen minds and kind hearts to make a smarter and more caring world.” Sir Johnston continued by emphasizing that the aims of this transnational diplomacy of knowledge are to help people make informed choices and forge a more meaningful life; furthermore, the diplomacy of knowledge strives to improve existing ideas and spread proven, beneficial knowledge. He stressed: “Countries thrive when they embrace ‘inclusive’ politics and economics.” He concluded by advocating for more active and robust educational exchanges at the undergraduate level between Korea and Canada, and he underscored the need, on the part of both countries, to create more attractive opportunities, such as internships, for university students. He also pointed out the great potential for growth in on-line education, seeing in it a medium for democratizing, and expanding access to, higher education.