Hoare is a graduate of London's School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS).
[1] In 2006, Hoare was President of the British Association of Korean Studies (BAKS).
[2] After Britain and North Korea re-established diplomatic relations in 2000, Hoare was appointed British Chargé d'affaires in Pyongyang; and his work laid the foundation for the establishment of a full embassy in the North Korean capital.
[3][4] Previously, Hoare had been head of the Foreign Office's North Asia and Pacific Research Group.
[3] In a statistical overview derived from writings by and about James Hoare, OCLC/WorldCat encompasses roughly 30+ works in 60+ publications in 3 languages and 4,000+ library holdings.