Motion
The answer is
in conversation.
With people, with the world, and with AI.
I'm Seokho Daniel Yoon, Secretary-General of Debate Korea and CEO of Daytrip Korea. I started on the debate floor in 2009, helped build a forum joined by young people from 160 countries, and am now taking on the work of helping organizations learn to work alongside AI.
Stages and pressThe New York TimesUnited NationsCornell UniversityNational Assembly of KoreaWUDCMBC · UNRISD
Ground 1 · With people
Debate is the craft of designing a conversation
Debate is known as the art of beating an opponent. In practice, it is a procedure that lets people who think differently arrive at one conclusion. Since 2014 I have been turning that procedure into tournaments and forums.
More on Debate Korea →- 2026National Assembly Speaker's Cup Youth Debate · Advisor
- 2025IFWY 2025 · 27,000 participants from 160 countries
- 2023National Assembly Solveathon · KB Solveathon
- 2021World Universities Debating Championship in Korea · 90 countries
Ground 2 · With AI
Handing work to AI also begins with a conversation
Asking a good question and giving enough context is much like preparing for a debate. Running several organizations, I build and use ways of handing repetitive work to AI so that people can focus on judgment, and I share that process in talks.
See talk topics →- 2026Speaker, Bloom × Snowflake · “Can AI really automate that task, too?”
- 2025Panelist, National Assembly seminar on interoperability for SMEs and startups in the AI era
Ground 3 · With the world
What stands between countries is also worked out between people
I taught debate at Cornell, and spoke for Korean youth in Doha and Jakarta. This year I am connecting young people in the three Baltic states and Korea. Daytrip Korea introduces Korea's places to travelers from around the world.
More on Daytrip Korea →- 2026Korea–Baltic Youth Dream Supporters · Ministry of Foreign Affairs · 15 selected from 220 applicants
- 2026Policy dialogue on youth exchange, Cabinet Secretariat of Indonesia, Jakarta
- 2025Speaker, Second World Summit for Social Development, Doha
- 2024–CEO, Daytrip Korea · cited by The New York Times
Datelines
2024–2026Seoul
Estonia · Latvia · Lithuania
Jakarta
Doha
Seoul
Seoul
Since 2009
Debating · adjudicating · coaching · convening, by countryUnited States
- 2011–14, 2017Cornell debate team, at Binghamton, West Point, Vermont, Rochester and other tournamentsDebater
- 2014, 2017Colgate IVAdjudicator
- 2018Alfred Tuna World Schools Debate Championships at CornellInvited Adjudicator
- 2018Hobart William Smith IV · Binghamton US North East OpenerAdjudicator
- 2018–Cornell debate team, including the first Cornell team to reach the final of the World Universities Debating ChampionshipsCoach
Canada
- 2018North American Universities Debating Championships, Queen's UniversityAdjudicator · Cornell reached the final
- 2019Hart House IV, TorontoCoach · finalists
Korea
- 2014–Cornell-Yonsei Debate InvitationalFounder and convenor · Chief Adjudicator
- 2015–17Yonsei Underwood Union: first Korean university team to reach the elimination rounds at the World Universities Debating Championships (2017); EFL champions at Australs 2015Head coach
- 2016, 2019Korean national university debating championshipConvenor
- 2017–Debate Korea Open (Seoul Open)Founder · Chief Adjudicator
- 2018Inter-Korean Summit press center, expert discussionsOperations
- 201920th World Knowledge ForumOperations
- 2019–21World Universities Debating Championships, Korea 2021 · 90 countriesConvenor · led the bid
- 2020–21Korean Language International Debating Championships 2021Convenor
China
- 2017China British Parliamentary ChampionshipsInvited Adjudicator
- 2017Cambridge ABC Shanghai · Canton IVInvited Adjudicator
- 2018Nanjing Debate OpenChief Adjudicator
- 2018North East Asian Open, GuangzhouAdjudication Core
- 2018Beijing Debate Challenge · Shanghai International Debate OpenInvited Adjudicator
Hong Kong
- 2017Hong Kong Debate OpenInvited Adjudicator
Singapore
- 2017Cambridge ABC SingaporeInvited Adjudicator
Japan
- 2017Kyushu Debate OpenInvited Adjudicator
Vietnam
- 2018Hanoi British ParliamentaryInvited Adjudicator
- 2019United Asian Debating Championships, HanoiInvited Adjudicator
- 2020Vietnam British Parliamentary ChampionshipsChief Adjudicator
- 2020“The Debaters”, a 12-week series on national broadcaster VTV7Guest judge and coach
Indonesia
- 2019Asian British Parliamentary Championships, YogyakartaAdjudication Core
- 2022Y20, the G20 youth summit, JakartaParticipant
Thailand
- 2020World Universities Debating ChampionshipsInvited Adjudicator
South Africa
- 2019World Universities Debating Championships, Cape TownInvited Adjudicator
Slovenia
- 2012International Debate Academy SloveniaAdjudication training
Qatar and the three Baltic states are in the datelines above. See past stages with photos →
About
윤석호I studied government and Asian studies at Cornell University and completed a master's in industrial and labor relations there. At Cornell I worked as the first Korean debate coach in the Ivy League, and in 2014 I founded Debate Korea.
In 2020 I founded Discover Korea, a nonprofit for international youth exchange. Since 2024, as CEO of Daytrip Korea, I have been introducing Korea's places to travelers from around the world.