Seong-Uk Kim

Cho Assistant Professor in Korean Culture and Religion

Office: 616 Kent Hall
Office Hours: M 2:30-4:30
Phone:  (212) 854-0596
Email: sk4236@columbia.edu

Educational Background

PhD: University of California, Los Angeles (’13)

Classes Taught

ASCE UN1363 Introduction to East Asian Civilizations: Korea
AHUM UN1400 Colloquium on Major Texts: East Asia
EARL GU4320 Buddhism and Korean Culture

Research Interests

Korean Buddhism, Religion and Politics

Seong-Uk Kim research investigates the intersections between Buddhism and other religions, religion and politics in modern and pre-modern Korea, and Buddhist transformation in the colonial and contemporary periods. He is currently completing a book manuscript, focusing on the intersection between Buddhism and Confucianism during the Chosŏn dynasty. Before coming to Columbia, he worked as a postdoctoral fellow and lecturer at Washington University in St. Louis (2013-2014) and Harvard University (2014-2015), teaching “Buddhist Traditions,” “Introduction to Korean Religions,” and “Theories and Methods in the Study of Religion.”

Selected Publications

“The Re-Invention of Korean Sŏn Buddhism in the Late Chosŏn: Paekp’a Kŭngsŏn (1767-1852) and His Three-Fold Sŏn Taxonomy,” Journal of Korean Religions (2017)

“Korean Confucianization of Zen: Ch’oŭi Ŭisun’s (1786–1866) Affirmation of a Confucian Literati Approach to Buddhism in Late Chosŏn,” Acta Koreana (2016)

“The Zen Theory of Language: Linji Yixuan’s Teaching of ‘Three Statements, Three Mysteries, and Three Essentials,'” Journal of the International Association of Buddhist Studies (2015)