Affiliated Research Fellows
Kiho Han
Professor Han received his Ph.D. in Unification Studies from Yonsei University's Graduate School of General Studies for his research on institutional improvements in North Korean development cooperation in international society theory. He values the balance between practical and theoretical aspects of inter-Korean relations. While serving as a director (secretary) at the South Korean Ministry of Unification, he served as the resident representative in Kaesong, North Korea, and as head of the operations division of the Inter-Korean Joint Liaison Office.
He served as a member of the 5th UNESCO Korean Commission for Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) and received the Grand Prize in the 7th Korea National Diplomatic Academy Academic Paper Award. He currently serves as the Director (Associate Professor) of the Research Laboratory at the Ajou University Institute for Unification Studies, and is also the Chair of the External Cooperation Committee of the Society for North Korean Studies and a columnist for the Ajou Economic Daily.
His major publications and research include The Power of Division: The Korean Peninsula Ruled by Borders (Seonin Publishing, 2025), Five Perspectives on Peace on the Korean Peninsula (co-authored, Seonin Publishing, 2024), Integration of South and North Koreans for the Next Generation: Daily Life, Contact, and Coexistence (co-authored, Korea Scholarly Information, 2024), and The Perpetuated Hostility in the Inter-Korean Rivalry, KOREA OBSERVER, 49-2 (co-authored, 2018).
Yangmo Ku
Dr. Yangmo Ku is Professor of Political Science and Associate Director of the Peace and War Center (PAWC) at Norwich University. He received his B.A. in German language and literature from Sogang University and earned his M.A. in international affairs and Ph.D. in political science from George Washington University. He previously taught in the School of International Service at American University. Dr. Ku’s research focus lies in North/South Korean politics, East Asian security, US foreign policy, and the politics of memory and reconciliation in East Asia and Europe. His forthcoming book, Nuclear North Korea: Strategy and Practice from the Korean War to the New Cold War, is scheduled for publication by Lynne Rienner Publishers in April 2026. He is also the coauthor of Politics in North and South Korea: Political Development, Economy, and Foreign Relations, published by Routledge in 2018. He serves as the founding Editor of a peer-reviewed journal, titled the Journal of Peace and War Studies, and co-editor of PAWC’s forum—Voices on Peace and War. His previous research has also appeared in numerous journals, including the Journal of East Asian Studies, Asian Perspective, Pacific Focus, Korean Journal of International Studies, Asian Journal of Peacebuilding, and the Yale Journal of International Affairs. He was often invited to give intensive lectures on North Korean nuclear issues and the politics of the Korean Peninsula to US federal government officials in Washington DC and Hawaii.
Inyeop "Jason" Lee
Dr. Inyeop “Jason” Lee is an Assistant Professor in Political Science at Tennessee Tech University. He earned his Ph.D. in Political Science and International Affairs from the University of Georgia in 2014 and his M.A. in International Affairs from the George Washington University in 2008. He also holds M.A. and B.A. from Seoul National University in South Korea. His research focuses on Nuclear negotiation between the U.S. and North Korea, East Asian Politics and American Foreign Policy. He co-authored the book, “Politics in North and South Korea” that was published with Routledge (2018). He also published journal articles such as “Can North Korea Follow China’s Path? A Comparative Study of the Nexus Between National Security and Economic Reforms (2019, Pacific Focus)”, “Rethinking Economic Sanctions on North Korea: Why Crippling Economic Sanctions Will Not Make North Korea Denuclearize (2022, Korea Observer)” and "Mediation Diplomacy of a Critical Stakeholder: South Korea's Role in the U.S.-DPRK Negotiation (2024, Korea Observer)."
Jooyoung Lee
Jooyoung Lee is an Associate Professor in the Department of History at Inha University, specializing in U.S. history, diplomatic history, and modern world history. He earned his Ph.D. in History from Brown University, focusing on "U.S. and the World," a field that examines America’s role in the 20th-century international order through global and transnational perspectives. His dissertation, Making Democracy Korean: American Ideals and South Korean State-Building, 1919–1960, analyzed U.S. democracy promotion as part of Cold War strategy and American exceptionalism. His research spans democracy promotion, human rights, capitalism, development, the Cold War, and environmental issues, with a particular interest in the interplay between international relations and domestic political, social, and cultural dynamics. He has published extensively in leading journals such as Diplomatic History, Journal of East Asian Studies, and Interventions, and co-authored Fission and Fusion of Allies (Springer, 2023).
In addition to his scholarship, Professor Lee actively engages in public history, digital history, and interdisciplinary collaborations with scholars in political science, economics, engineering, and education. He has held key academic and advisory positions, including serving as Editorial Director for the Korean Society for Western History and Academic Advisor to the National Museum of Korean Contemporary History. Drawing on over a decade of teaching experience—from liberal arts courses for science and engineering students to specialized graduate seminars—he emphasizes critical thinking, global perspectives, and the relevance of history to contemporary issues. He also mentors students toward advanced degrees at leading universities worldwide, and advocates for integrating public and digital history into both formal education and broader civic engagement.
Kangkook Lee
Kang-Kook Lee is Professor of College of Economics at Ritsumeikan University. He teaches macroeconomics to graduate students from developing countries in Asia and Africa in the Master’s Program in Economic Development. His research interests encompass inequality, economic growth, financial globalization and the East Asian economy.
He graduated from Seoul National University and earned a Ph.D. in economics from the University of Massachusetts, specializing in capital account liberalization and economic development. He has published several books and many papers in academic journals such as Cambridge Journal of Economics and Global Economic Review. As a visiting scholar, he has been affiliated with Columbia University in 2009, the University of Cambridge in 2018, and Seoul National University in 2019. Additionally, he serves as a co-editor of The Japanese Political Economy and contributes columns to mass media outlets, including Nikkei Asia.
Chan Woong Shin
Dr. Chan Woong Shin earned his B.A. and M.A. in Political Science and International Relations from Seoul National University and received his Ph.D. in Political Science from Syracuse University in the United States, with a dissertation titled “America’s New Internationalists? Evangelical Transnational Activism and U.S. Foreign Policy.” Dr. Shin previously taught at Indiana Wesleyan University and currently serves on the faculty at Gordon College in Massachusetts. His research interests include U.S. foreign policy, religion and politics, and international ethics, with a particular focus on the role of religion in promoting peace on the Korean Peninsula and in East Asia.
