News

Welcoming the Kim Center's 2026–27 Moon Family Postdoctoral Fellow

August 6, 2026

The James Joo-Jin Kim Center for Korean Studies is pleased to welcome Kim Lacey as the Moon Family Postdoctoral Fellow for the 2026–2027 academic year. We are delighted to have Dr. Lacey join the Kim Center community and look forward to her contributions in research, teaching, and intellectual engagement throughout the year.

Executive Committee Update

August 5, 2026

The ⁠James Joo-Jin Kim Center for Korean Studies at the University of Pennsylvania is pleased to announce key updates to our Executive Committee for the upcoming academic year. Our Executive Committee plays a vital role in steering the Center's strategic vision, academic programming, and research initiatives. We are excited to announce two new faculty additions to the committee, bringing invaluable interdisciplinary expertise to our leadership team:⁠

Congratulations to Hwiyoung P. Lee on Receiving the Best Paper in Voluntas Award

August 3, 2026

The Kim Center is delighted to congratulate Hwiyoung P. Lee, a former Kim Center Graduate Fellow and the recipient of the 2025 Graduate Student Research Support Award, on receiving the Best Paper in Voluntas Award for Volume 36.

Hwiyoung P. Lee and Ram A. Cnaan received the award for their article, "Is Mandatory Community Service a Catalyst for Civic Growth or Fruitless Servitude?: Evidence from a Natural Experiment in South Korea," published in Volume 35, Issue 1 of Voluntas.

New Special Issue Published in The Review of Korean Studies

June 5, 2026

The James Joo-Jin Kim Center for Korean Studies is pleased to announce the publication of a new special issue of The Review of Korean Studies (Vol. 29, No. 1, June 2026). Co-edited by Emily Noh and Hyunjoon Park, this special issue features six peer-reviewed papers originally presented at the Digital Humanities and Social Sciences Korea Conference, hosted by the Kim Center on April 25, 2025.

Call for Applications: The James Joo-Jin Kim Dissertation Completion Fellowship

February 19, 2026

Call for Applications: The James Joo-Jin Kim Dissertation Completion Fellowship 
 

Description

The James Joo-Jin Kim Dissertation Completion Fellowship supports SAS doctoral students in Korean Studies. The fellowship is open to Ph.D. candidates in the humanities or social sciences whose dissertations focus on Korea or explore Korea from a comparative perspective. The award covers the cost of tuition, fees, a 10-month stipend, and health insurance.

2025 SNU–UPenn Woosong International Conference on Korean Studies

January 24, 2026

On Friday, December 19, 2025, scholars from Seoul National University, the University of Pennsylvania and beyond gathered at SNU’s College of Humanities for the 2025 SNU–UPenn Woosong International Conference on Korean Studies. The Conference, which has alternated between the two universities since 2023, aims to bring Korean Studies scholars together to learn, collaborate, and network.  

Learning Across Disciplines, Speaking to Diverse Audiences

December 3, 2025

Greater Philadelphia Area Korean Studies Conference | November 14, 2025

Dating and Intimacy in South Korea: Diverse Stories

November 26, 2025

Global Korea Agenda Roundtable | November 7, 2025

Now Accepting 2026-27 Moon Family Postdoctoral Fellowship Applications

November 24, 2025

The James Joo-Jin Kim Center for Korean Studies at the University of Pennsylvania announces a Moon Family Postdoctoral Fellowship for the 2026–27 academic year. The postdoctoral fellowship is open to scholars from any discipline with a research and teaching focus on Korea.

Graduate Student Research Support Award

November 24, 2025

The James Joo-Jin Kim Center for Korean Studies is pleased to announce the recipient of the 2025 Graduate Student Research Support Award. Supported by the Core University Program for Korean Studies of the Academy of Korean Studies (AKS-2023-OLU-2250002), the award is given in recognition of research conducted by a University of Pennsylvania graduate student who is undertaking solo- or first-authored research on Korea or the Korean diaspora.

Award Recipient ($2,000 Prize)