Hamid Choi

Hamid Choi is a South Korean translator and professor of Islamic and Arabic studies at Myongji University. Currently serving as chairperson of Korea Muslim Federation (KMF), in 2021 he reportedly became the first Korean Muslim to translate the Quran and Sahih al-Bukhari into Korean language. Choi has also written about ninety articles concerning Islamic studies.

He is awarded laureate of King Faisal Prize in Service to Islam in 2023.

Early life and education Choi was born in South Korea in 1949. He graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Arabic Language and Literature from Hankuk University of Foreign Studies in Seoul in 1975. He pursued further Islamic studies at the Islamic University of Madinah before completing his PhD in Islamic Studies at Omdurman Islamic University in Sudan in 1986.

Career Choi became professor of Islamic and Arabic Studies at Myongji University in Seoul, where he contributed to developing Islamic studies in Korea. He later translated Sahih al-Bukhari into Korean, making him the first Korean Muslim to render both texts in his native language.

Awards and recognition Choi was awarded the King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz International Award for Translation in 2009 for his contributions to translation studies.

In 2023, he received the King Faisal Prize in Service to Islam for his pioneering translations and service to the Muslim community.

The same year, he was also honored with an award for Service to Islam by the Regional Council for Islamic Call in Southeast Asia.

Also see

Islam in Korea Korea Muslim Federation