Sung Eun Kim (Associate Professor, Political Science and International Relations, Korea University; HYI Visiting Scholar, 2024-25)
“Circumventing the Liberal Order: Protectionism with Chinese Characteristics”
What got you interested in your research topic?
My research covers a few different areas—trade, foreign aid, and the environment—but a central theme is how individuals form attitudes about foreign policy, and how information shapes those attitudes.
I started thinking about international politics early on. When I was young, my great-grandmother lived with us, and our family often shared stories about my great-grandfather, an independence activist during the Japanese colonial era. He saw Korea’s liberation in 1945 but passed away soon after, at just 34, from the effects of torture. His story came up often during family gatherings—on Lunar New Year, Chuseok, and his memorial day—and made me reflect on how international politics shapes individual lives.
At the same time, I’ve always been curious about how people respond to international news. As an undergraduate, I double-majored in political science and communications, and I was especially interested in how individuals process news. That led me to think about the intersection of international politics and media. I also used to scroll through comment sections just to see how differently people reacted to international news. That curiosity eventually grew into a broader research agenda that tries to understand how people process information and form opinions about foreign policy and international relations.
So I’ve always been drawn to both sides: how international politics shape individuals, and how individuals, in turn, make sense of and respond to international politics.
Outside of work, where can we find you?
My favorite spot on campus is Riverview Commons on the 10th floor of Smith Campus Center near Harvard Square. You can have a wide, and open view of Harvard and Cambridge from up there. If you’re looking for a work spot with a great view outside of your office, I recommend this place.
Off campus, I’ve become a regular at Danehy Park. You’ll often find me there in the afternoons practicing soccer with my son, and on weekends cheering him on during his Cambridge Youth Soccer League games. We often play for about two hours, which sounds really long, but it’s a new hobby he picked up last year (and, as any parent knows, that means it’s your hobby too).
Since moving back to Cambridge, my Cambridge-born boy has also become a huge Red Sox fan. So, I’ve given up my identity as a former New Yorker and started cheering for the Red Sox too (it takes a lot of motherhood to do that!). The past few seasons haven’t been great for the Red Sox, but we still love going to Fenway!
What would you want to do most as a career if you were not in academia?
I ask myself this question quite often, there are a few very different paths I’ve imagined.
The most unrealistic and brief dream I had in high school was to become a musical actor or work in the musical industry. I “majored” in French at a foreign language high school, and a few of us were quite obsessed with French musicals. Roméo et Juliette was a big hit at the time, and we even performed it for our graduation show. But I knew even then it wasn’t a realistic path. I’m a mediocre singer and an even more mediocre dancer.
A more realistic, though still very different, alternative to academia would be becoming a stock trader. Academia is all about long-term investment: projects take years, and recognition can take even longer, if it comes at all. Trading, in contrast, offers short-term returns. When I feel exhausted by the slow and uncertain process of academic work, I sometimes imagine what it would be like to pursue a career in trading. Since I use quantitative methods in my research and enjoy quick feedback, it occasionally feels like a good fit. But if I were actually in trading, I might be wondering what it would be like to pursue a career in academia.
Read Prof. Kim’s bio on our website!