Welcome! 

I am an Assistant Professor of International Affairs and the Associate Director of the MA program in Security Policy Studies at the Elliott School of International Affairs. I am also an affiliated faculty at the Elliott School's Institute for Security and Conflict Studies (ISCS) and Institute for Korean Studies (GWIKS). In addition to the academic appointment, I served as a visiting researcher at the United Nations University World Institute for Development (UNU-WIDER) in 2023. 

Prior to joining the faculty, I was a predoctoral visiting scholar at the ISCS at George Washington University. I have varying professional experiences, including project development, database management, and research and analysis of human trafficking, political violence, and civil war with the UN Migration Agency (IOM), the United States Institute of Peace (USIP), and the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project (ACLED). I worked at the Embassy of the Republic of Korea in Washington, DC, covering free trade, U.S.-Korea relations, and security affairs in Northeast Asia. I was also formerly a journalist in Seoul, South Korea. 

My research focuses on the intersection of geopolitics and conflict in marginalized territories within the nation-states and in the international system. 

I hold a Ph.D. in International Relations from American University and an MA in Conflict Resolution from Georgetown University. 

You can reach me at minjk [at] gwu [dot] edu.