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Je Heon (James) Kim

Director of Public Opinion and External Relations
Korea Economic Institute of America
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About Je Heon (James) Kim

Dr. Je Heon (James) Kim is Director of Public Opinion and External Relations at the Korea Economic Institute of America (KEI) in Washington, DC. He also serves as a Lecturer in the Executive Master of Public Policy and Administration Program at Columbia University.

Previously, he was the Senior Research Fellow and Director of the Center for Regional Studies and the Center for Public Opinion Research at the Asan Institute for Policy Studies in Seoul, South Korea, where he also directed the institute’s Washington, DC office. From 2008 to 2012, he was an Assistant Professor of Political Science at California State Polytechnic University (Pomona). His career also includes roles as a Summer Research Associate at the RAND Corporation and a Statistical Consultant for the Institute for Social and Economic Research and Planning at the School of International and Public Affairs at Columbia University. His primary research interests include domestic drivers of foreign policy, political economy, methodology, and public opinion.

Dr. Kim earned a BS and MS in Industrial and Labor Relations from Cornell University and a PhD in Political Science from Columbia University.

Publication

Fairness and Reciprocity? Reconsidering Trump’s Liberation Day Tariffs on South Korea

This report evaluates the rationale and implications of President Donald Trump’s “Liberation Day” tariffs on South Korean imports. The administration frames these tariffs as “reciprocal” measures necessary to correct perceived…

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Region: The United States

June 25, 2025
Je Heon (James) Kim, Nils Wollesen Osterberg

Untethered Sentiments: How Politics, Visibility, Perception, and Demographic Differences Shape American Views on Foreign Investment and Trade

The key takeaways from this study are as follows: 1. Impact of Perception on Foreign Investment Attitudes: The study finds that individual perceptions of FDI at the state level play…

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Region: The United States

May 13, 2025
Je Heon (James) Kim, Nils Wollesen Osterberg

2024 Report on American Attitudes Toward the Korean Peninsula

KEI’s 2024 Report on American Attitudes Toward the Korean Peninsula summarizes results from a survey commissioned by KEI and conducted by YouGov from September 3rd to September 10th, 2024. The…

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Region: Asia, North America

October 10, 2024
Scott Snyder, Andy Hong, Jennifer Ahn, Je Heon (James) Kim

Peninsula Blog

Fairness and Reciprocity? Reconsidering Trump’s Liberation Day Tariffs on South Korea

Read the full report by Nils Wollesen Osterberg and Dr. Je Heon (James) Kim by clicking here. The latest report from the Korea Economic Institute of America (KEI) evaluates the rationale and implications of President Donald Trump’s “Liberation Day” tariffs on South Korean imports. The administration frames these tariffs as “reciprocal” measures necessary to correct…

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Region: The United States

June 25, 2025
Je Heon (James) Kim, Nils Wollesen Osterberg

Americans Care Who Invests in America

There is ample public opinion data suggesting a link between U.S. attitudes on trade and trade partners. Recent poll results show that Americans favor trade with countries like China less than with allies like South Korea and Japan. One consideration appears to be how Americans think about trade within the broader context of national security.…

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Region: Asia

June 11, 2025
Je Heon (James) Kim

Future of Korea: Enhancing Cooperation and Dialogue with Vermont

From May 13 to 15, 2025, the Korea Economic Institute of America (KEI) brought its Future of Korea (FOK) outreach program to Burlington, Vermont, in partnership with the Vermont Council on World Affairs. The FOK delegation consisted of representatives from KEI, the U.S. Department of State, and the South Korean Embassy. During the visit, the…

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Region: The United States

June 5, 2025
Je Heon (James) Kim

The Historical and Institutional Foundations of Socioeconomic Linkages between the U.S. and South Korea

Amid all the talk of tariffs and investments in the United States, numerous reports and analyses have pointed to the benefits of deep socioeconomic linkages between the United States and South Korea. As President Donald Trump noted as early as 2019, “Hyundai, Samsung, CJ, Doosan, and SK Group… have created more than 50,000 brand new…

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Region: The United States

May 22, 2025
Je Heon (James) Kim

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