On November 20, Finnish Prime Minister Alexander Stubb visited Yonsei to give a special lecture on “Education and Innovation: Building Blocks of Growth in Creative Economy.” Only forty-six years of age, Mr. Stubb assumed the post of Prime Minister on June 24, 2014. Previously, he served as Finland’s Representative to the European Union and Finland’s Minister of Foreign Affairs. More than 200 students, faculty members, and university and government officials were in attendance, including Yonsei President Jeong Kap-young, Underwood International College (UIC) Dean Park Hyung-ji, Minister of Education Hwang Woo-yeo, Finnish Ambassador to Korea Matti Heimonen, and Korean Ambassador to Finland Chang Dong-hee.  

Prime Minister Stubb began his talk by emphasizing that “education is the core of Finland’s creative economy,” attributing the social and economic success of his nation to its strong commitment to education at all levels.  Stressing the importance of “rest, good eating habits, and exercise,” he insisted that good health is directly related to the quality of education and essential to a nation’s efforts to achieve the goals of a creative economy. Education in the twenty-first century, he said, “must be able to provide students with methods to think freely and innovatively.” Ultimately, such an education “allows the individual to thrive, while bettering all of society.”