My research interest lies in informal institutions & norms, civil-military relations, political psychology, survey & experimental methods, and Korean & East Asian politics.

I study the dynamics of norms and other informal institutions in political and military spheres. One strand of my research explores how to make the military protect national security and respect societal norms instead of pursuing private interests. I study how the interplay between military and societal norms shape civilian and military preferences, and vice versa. The other strand of my research focuses on broader topics about how to cultivate and maintain liberal and democratic norms in relatively new democracies like South Korea.

I received Alexander George Award for the best graduate paper presented at the Foreign Policy Analysis section of International Studies Association. I am a Ph.D. student majoring in political science at the University of California, San Diego, where I am the recipient of Marsha Chandler Fellowship. I hold M.A. in political science from Columbia University, the other M.A. in political science from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where I received University Fellowship, 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. I am particularly excited about this valuable opportunity to improve my teaching skills and also conduct fieldwork in the country of my academic interest.