Assist Prof Dr. Hyun Kyung Kim | Population Economics | Best Researcher Award

Chungbuk National University | South Korea

Author Profile

Scopus

🧑‍🏫 Current Position

Since September 2024, Dr. Hyun Kyung Kim has been serving as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Economics at Chungbuk National University, Cheongju, South Korea. In this role, she is involved in teaching, research, and scholarly publication, with a focus on applied microeconomics, population economics, and public finance. Her work is especially centered on demographic challenges such as low fertility, population aging, and intergenerational equity.

🧾 Summary

Dr. Kim is a highly accomplished economist with dual Ph.D. degrees in Economics and Management Engineering. Her career integrates over 14 years of experience in both government research and academic institutions. She specializes in empirical economic research, focusing on labor markets, statistical systems, and policy modeling. Her expertise lies in translating complex data into policy-relevant insights, making her a valuable asset in both academic and public policy domains.

🎓 Education & Experience

Dr. Kim earned her Ph.D. in Economics from the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa in 2023 with a GPA of 3.95/4.0, receiving multiple top honors. She also holds a Ph.D. in Management Engineering (2010) and a B.Sc. in Management Engineering (2003) from KAIST, South Korea. From 2010 to 2024, she worked as a Deputy Director at the Statistical Research Institute of Statistics Korea, leading major projects on National Transfer Accounts (NTA), National Time Transfer Accounts (NTTA), and business statistics. Her earlier postdoctoral work at KAIST focused on financial market analysis and statistical modeling.

✅ Suitability & Professional Development 📜

Dr. Kim’s interdisciplinary training and field experience make her highly suitable for advanced research and teaching roles. She serves as the Asia representative on the NTA Global Network’s Nominating Committee and is a core member of the National Transfer Accounts Global Network. She is also a permanent member of both the Korean Economic Association and the Korean Association of Public Finance. Her background demonstrates a strong commitment to professional development, global collaboration, and evidence-based policy research.

🔬 Research Focus

Her research spans Microeconomics, Labor Economics, Econometrics, and Population Economics, with special attention to intergenerational transfers, public finance, and socioeconomic impacts of demographic change. Notable ongoing projects include:

• “Childbirth Grants, Maternal Migration, and Fertility in South Korea” (submitted to Population Research and Policy Review)

• “Population Aging, Living Arrangements, and Income Inequality” (in collaboration with Sang-Hyop Lee and Andrew Mason)

• “The Effect of Population Aging on Energy Consumption” using the NTA framework
  These works demonstrate her capacity to integrate quantitative modeling with policy analysis on critical demographic issues.

🏆 Honors & Awards

Dr. Kim’s achievements have been recognized through numerous awards, including:

• TK Jayaraman and Family Prize – Best Graduating Ph.D. Student, University of Hawai‘i (2023)

• Henry M.K. Mok & James Mak Scholarship Fund (2022)

• Bernie Campbell Fellowship Fund (2022)

• Seiji Naya First-Year Student Award (2021)
  She also received the Meritorious Service Award from the Ministry of Strategy and Finance for her work on national censuses and an Excellent Thesis Award from KAIST Business School. Additionally, she graduated with the second highest GPA in her undergraduate program and earned early recognition through awards like the Character Scholarship and Study Abroad Essay Prize.

Publications