Despite the recent increase in gradual democratic erosion and decrease in democratic breakdown by military coup, control over the military remains crucial both for aspiring autocrats and for those defending democracy against them. Acknowledging this point, I study how political identities and private incentives shape military decisions and behavior and how those dynamics can threaten democratic stability. The military is my unique window onto broader problems that contemporary democracies face, such as bureaucratic deviance, deep polarization, and intergroup conflicts. I explore this topic largely in the context of South Korea & East Asia and the United States, along with other democratic societies around the world.

My works integrate theory development based on extensive fieldwork and in-depth interviews with a variety of rigorous quantitative methods, such as causal inference, surveys and survey experiments, behavioral tasks, field experiments, and automated text analysis (including the use of large language models).

My works have been recognized by scholarly awards, such as Alexander George Award (Foreign Policy Analysis Section, ISA) and Conflict Processes Best Paper Award (Conflict Processes Section, APSA).

I am a Ph.D. candidate in the department of political science at the University of California, San Diego, where I am a recipient of Marsha Chandler Fellowship. I hold M.A. in political science from Columbia University and B.A., highest honors, in political science and philosophy from Yonsei University, where I received National Humanities & Social Sciences Scholarship (in Korean, “인문100년장학금”).

To fulfill the military service duty as a South Korean male citizen while working on my dissertation project, I am working as a lecturer of military history (first lieutenant) at Korea Army Academy from June 2024 to May 2027. This position has also provided valuable opportunities to develop my teaching and conduct fieldwork relevant to my research agenda.