Strong in mind, experienced and passionate about public administration issues, KDI School is blessed to have Prof. Soonhee Kim as part of its distinguished faculty.

Prof. Kim grew up in Cheongju and later moved to Seoul for her bachelor’s degree in public administration at Ewha Womans University. She furthered her education in public administration in Korea University, and earned Ph.D. at Nelson A. Rockefeller College of Public Affairs and Policy, State University of New York at Albany. In between her master’s at KU and her Ph.D. at SUNY, Prof. Kim briefly worked for a small non-profit organization – Center for Women in Politics – which championed women’s participation in politics.

Growing up in a family that emphasized the value of equal opportunities and education for women inspired her to seek a doctoral degree.  “My mother and grandmother are the most influential people in my life,” she added.

When asked about the motivation behind her choice to pursue a career in public administration, she recounted her interest in human capital in the public sector. In addition, her family’s strong appreciation of the role of public service made her choice easy.  “I wanted to be a scholar in public administration to make contribution to the society, by providing better knowledge on how to run a government, how to manage people in the government, how to implement policies better,” Prof. Kim explained. “Those are core questions in public administration so it was a natural choice for me,” she smiled. She further stressed the need for more young, smart and motivated people to join the public service and serve the community. She stated Korea’s highly motivated public servants in the 1960s were the building block of the socio-economic development they are enjoying today.

Prior to joining the KDI School, Prof. Kim was Senior Research Associate at Campbell Public Affairs Institute, Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs of Syracuse University, where she also served as a professor in the Department of Public Administration and International Affairs. Having worked in the United States for a while, she felt it was time to come home and contribute to building a better governance system in Korea. She summarized her reasons to join the KDI School in three parts. First, KDI School’s global approach to education was very appealing. “My experience in the United States has been more focused on domestic issues in the US but KDI school has a bigger global reach,” she pointed out. “I’m glad to have this great opportunity to help out the younger generation of Korea and all different countries,” she clarified. Secondly, her research interest lies in Korea and other Asian countries. Teaching at the KDI School will help her become more productive in her work. Lastly, moving to Sejong city is part of her motivation. Sejong is close to Daejeon, where her aging mother and sister live. They are excited to have her close by. “Sejong city is close to where I grew up. I look forward to my life in Sejong because I love to live in a quiet small town so I can concentrate on my research and visit my mother as often as I can.” She compared living in Sejong to living in Syracuse, a small town in New York State. “Less pollution, no traffic and a quiet environment are very conducive to academic and research work,” she added.

In the fall semester, Prof. Kim will teach Human Resource Management in Government. Students should expect a unique blend of theory and practice in HR management. In the spring, those interested in Public Organizations and Management and Executive Leadership are to meet our new professor.

Asked for advice to international students, Prof. Kim appealed for patience and change of attitude towards the move to Sejong. “International students should not be disappointed about moving out of Seoul,” she argued. “You should see it as an opportunity to explore other parts of Korea. Also Sejong will make you more productive students.” Her confidence was comforting. On behalf of all students, I said woezor (welcome in Ewe) to KDI School!

By Brian Dzansi Dzidefo, (2014 MDP, Ghana)