[1] Šimunović started his career as a journalist at Večernji List, a conservative daily newspaper in Zagreb, from August 1988 to October 1990.

He covered the unraveling of the Soviet empire in Eastern Europe, including free elections in Poland, the Romanian Revolution, the fall of the Berlin Wall, and other events.

[1] Šimunović left Croatia in October 1993 to work at BBC World Service Radio's Croatian Section as a journalist and producer, remaining until September 1998.

[1] Šimunović joined the Croatian Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Zagreb in September 1998 as deputy head of the Analytical Department, staying until March 2000.

[1] Šimunović left the Foreign Ministry to return to journalism and to the Večernji List, working as an advisor to the board from September 2003 to February 2004.