Moamen Gouda: An Egyptian Economist Who Plays Guitar and Praises Korea’s Religious Tolerance
Creatrip Team
18 days ago
Moamen Gouda, a 48-year-old Egyptian professor at Hankuk University of Foreign Studies, has taught in Korea for 12 years while pursuing music as lead guitarist and composer of the multicultural band Green Pyramid. With degrees from Ain Shams University, Heriot-Watt (MBA) and Marburg (Ph.D.), he credits Korea’s peaceful coexistence of different faiths for strengthening social trust, stability and economic development. Having grown up in a more religiously driven society, Gouda values religion’s role in community but warns that politicizing faith can cause division. He praises Korea’s education, public safety and “injeong” (a culture of warmth and social solidarity) for helping his family settle—his 10-year-old daughter speaks Korean, German, Arabic and English and feels at home in Korea. Gouda urges better institutional support for long-term foreign residents and encourages Korean students to engage more in debate. He sees Egypt as a strategic gateway linking Africa, the Middle East and Europe and calls for investment in people as well as trade. Outside academia, Gouda has composed 40+ songs and blends Egyptian melodies with jazz, rock and classical styles; Green Pyramid will perform in Seoul on July 10. Overall, he hopes Koreans take pride in their country’s international reputation and views foreigners as partners connecting Korea to the world.
