Suk-Young Kim

Suk-Young Kim is a South Korean academic based in the United States who specializes in Korean cultural history. She is a professor at UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television. She won the 2013 James B. Palais Book Prize for her book Illusive Utopia and is a 2025 Guggenheim Fellow.

Biography Raised in South Korea, Kim spent some time in Soviet Russia; the then-socialist nature of the country inspired her to study North Korean theatre. After obtaining her BA in Russian language and literature (1993) and MA in Russian literature (1995) from Korea University, she obtained two doctorates: one in Slavic languages and literature from the University of Illinois Chicago (2001) and a second one in interdisciplinary theatre and drama from Northwestern University (2005).

Kim spent one year as an assistant professor at Dartmouth College (2004–2005), She began working at University of California, Santa Barbara in 2005, being promoted to associate professor in 2009 and full professor in 2013, as well as the 2015 ATHE Outstanding Book award for her book DMZ Crossing. She later authored K-Pop Live (2019), Surviving Squid Game (2023), and Millennial North Korea (2024). She is editor of The Cambridge Companion to K-Pop (2023), as well as co-editor for the Critical Voices from East Asia series from Columbia University Press. She also has a brother and sister. Long Road Home (2012) DMZ Crossing (2014) K-Pop Live (2018) The Cambridge Companion to K-Pop (2023, as editor) Surviving Squid Game (2023) Millennial North Korea (2024)