People

David C. Kang is the Maria Crutcher Professor of International Relations at the University of Southern California, with appointments in the Departments of Political Science and International Relations, and East Asian Languages and Cultures, and also in the Marshall School of Business. He is the Director of the USC Korean Studies Institute.

kangdc@usc.edu | Faculty Page | Twitter

Gloria Koo is the Associate Director at the Korean Studies Institute (KSI) at the University of Southern California. In addition to managing the programming and operations of the Institute, she researches on the topics of international political economy and U.S.-Asia relations. She studied International Relations and Economics at USC. Prior to USC, she was a foreign direct investment consultant. In her spare time she studies quick dinner recipes and writes travel itineraries.

gloriako@usc.edu | 213-740-0005

Dr. John Park is Director of the Korea Project at the Harvard Kennedy School’s Belfer Center and Senior Advisor at the University of Southern California’s Korean Studies Institute. He is also a Faculty Member of the Harvard Committee on Regional Studies East Asia, an Associated Faculty Member of Harvard’s Korea Institute, and a Faculty Affiliate with the Harvard Project on Managing the Atom. His core research projects focus on the political economy of the Korean Peninsula, nuclear proliferation, economic statecraft, Asian trade negotiations, and North Korean cyber operations. Dr. Park’s research has been supported by the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, Stanton Foundation, Korea Foundation, and SBS Foundation. His current research focuses on the North Korean regime’s accumulated learning in evading sanctions. He has testified on North Korea before the Senate Banking Committee and the House Financial Services Committee. Dr. Park received his Ph.D. in International Relations from the University of Cambridge. He completed his pre-doctoral and post-doctoral training at the Harvard Kennedy School’s Belfer Center.

jshpark@gmail.com | 213-740-3758 | Faculty Page

Ambassador Sung Kim will join the USC Korean Studies Institute as a Senior Fellow beginning January 1, 2024. While a Senior Fellow at the USC Korean Studies Institute, Ambassador Kim will engage in a regular series of events with students and faculty.

In addition to his role at USC, Ambassador Kim will also be Senior Advisor to Hyundai Motor Group and Senior Advisor to Bae, Kim, and Lee law firm. Ambassador Kim recently retired from the State Department and has a long and distinguished career in the service of the United States. Ambassador Kim’s most recent appointments were U.S. Special Representative for the DPRK (May 2021-December 2023), and a concurrent appointment as the U.S. Ambassador to the Republic of Indonesia from October 2020 to December 2023. Ambassador Kim also served as acting Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs January-June 2021. Earlier, Ambassador Kim served as Ambassador to the Republic of Korea (2011-2014) and Ambassador to the Republic of the Philippines (2016-2020). Ambassador Kim was the first Asian-American to hold three U.S. ambassadorships.  Prior to joining the diplomatic service, he worked as a prosecutor in Los Angeles, California. Ambassador Kim was born in Seoul, Korea, and grew up in Los Angeles. He studied at the University of Pennsylvania (BA), Loyola University (JD), and London School of Economics (LLM).

Jay Lee is the program specialist at the Korean Studies Institute at the University of Southern California. He received his B.A. in Political Science and International Relations and his M.A. in Public Diplomacy from the University of Southern California. Jay is also a participant in the Koch Associates Program under the Foreign Policy concentration.  Jay is also a co-founder of Aurora NK, a nonprofit that connects refugees to services in English learning, legal aid, and healthcare.

lee550@usc.edu | (213) 740-3758