Staff

Seunghyeon Kim is an intern at the Korean American Institute, a nonprofit organization whose mission is to produce insightful and actionable research to improve decision-making on issues facing Korean Americans. She joined KAI in September 2025 and has interests in civic engagement, Korean and Asian communities, and gender.

Her academic focus centers on sociopolitical analysis, which combines context-based narratives and quantitative data. In terms of actionable insights, she seeks to examine the circumstances faced by marginalized citizens and contribute to policy discussions that promote more inclusive and equitable outcomes.

Originally from Seoul, South Korea, Seunghyeon is a senior at Smith College pursuing a B.A. in Sociology (Honors) and Statistical & Data Sciences (Mu Sigma Rho). Based on her multilingual, transnational, and coding skills, she is working on her sociology honors thesis about young Korean women’s political participation in the 2024 K-pop light stick protest in South Korea.