USC Global Conference

Sung-Han Kim

Sung-han Kim is a professor of international relations at the Graduate School of International Studies (GSIS) at Korea University, a position he has held since 2007. He has recently served as the Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade from 2012-2013. Before then, he was a professor and associate dean at GSIS and director of the Ilmin International Relations Institute at Korea University. Before joining GSIS in 2007, Sung-hae Kim was a professor at the Institute of Foreign Affairs and National Security (IFANS) in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs & Trade.

Kim has also held positions as a research fellow at the Institute of Social Sciences and as an expert advisor to the Prime Minister’s Committee for Globalization (1992-1994). His many professional activities include serving as a vice president of the Korean Association of International Studies; president of Korean Association of American Politics (KAAP); secretary general of the Korean National Committee of Council for Security Cooperation in the Asia Pacific (CSCAP-Korea); and chairman of the Vision Council for the ROK-U.S. Security Policy Initiative.

After the North Korean military attack to the Cheonan naval corvette in March 2010, he served as a member of the presidential commission for national security review and the presidential commission for defense reform. From 2008-2012, he participated in the presidential advisory council for foreign affairs and national security, which consisted of ten security experts. Sung-han Kim specializes in U.S. foreign policy and international security and holds a Ph.D. from the University of Texas at Austin. His recent articles in scholarly journals include “From Blood Alliance to Strategic Alliance,” “The End of Humanitarian Intervention?” “North Korea: Between Survival and Glory,” and “Exploring a Northeast Asian Peace and Security Mechanism.”