1. http://www.voxmagazine.com/magazine/q-a-with-cheehyung-harrison-kim-mu-professor-of-
north/article_3550f1cf-200c-5139-b4e5-9df89721d01a.html
Q&A with Cheehyung Harrison Kim, MU professor
of North Korean history
BRAD BERGNER MAY 26, 2016
For Cheehyung Harrison Kim, travel is more than a hobby or job requirement. Globetrotting has
shaped the Seoul, South Korea, native’s entire life. As a result, Kim is not bound to any particular
national borders. He considers himself a man without a homeland and lives what he calls “an
Mike Krebs
Mike Krebs/Missourian MU Assistant Professor Harrison Kim poses for a portrait on Thursday, April 14, 2016, in his office, in Read Ha
University of Missouri in Columbia. (Mike Krebs/Missourian via AP)

2. internationalist way of life.”
This internationalist lifestyle began at 9 years old. His parents decided to leave Seoul and
resettled in Singapore and the Philippines before they made a series of stops in destinations such
as New York, Cleveland and Dallas. Still, his expeditions would not remain relegated to his youth.
Kim’s studies and research have taken him all over Europe, to Australia and twice to North
Korea.
For now, he’s a professor of East Asian History at MU, as well as one of the first university
professors in the United States to teach a North Korean history class. This puts the university “in
a good position to attract a lot of grants and research support coming from external sources,”
says Sang Kim, director of the MU Asian Affairs Center. Despite his current stationary role,
Cheehyung Harrison Kim is a man without borders, and this mentality extends to his syllabus.
How would you describe your experience assimilating to American culture?
When I was younger, I complained to my parents about moving and changing schools. Until I got
to high school, we moved almost every year, like a kid in a military family or something. The
American experience wasn’t that odd at first. One thing that was very odd was race. I had never
really had black friends, Mexican friends, nonwhite or non-Korean friends until I got to the
United States.
What’s the longest amount of time you have lived in one place?
It’s only recently that I have a sense of a more permanent life. Technically, I lived in Seoul until I
was 9 years old. But really, I didn’t have a home before I came here and bought a house. I think
I’m still dealing with that — being settled in one place and thinking about 10 years down the road.
There’s something really nice about that feeling.
We hear you’d like to start a North Korean study abroad program.
I would love to do that, but I think it’s going to take many, many years. There is still that blockade
at the federal government level. You cannot engage with North Korea as a public institution. This
is not a legally sanctioned activity. What I want to do is create a university-to-university
exchange. Sending our kids there, bringing their kids here and so forth. It’s going to take a lot of
effort to get to that level.
What stands out from your trips to North Korea?

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My first trip lasted three days, and it was at the edge of North Korea at a border resort town. The
second time was in summer 2014 when I took a weeklong, independent tour of North Korea. I
came in at Pyongyang, the capital city, and made it all the way up to Hamhung. I went with the
expectation that there would be a certain level of surveillance everywhere, but that was not the
case. Yes, you’re monitored, but at the same time it helps because it’s not a tourism-friendly
place. There are no signs. There are no hotels that you can easily go to.
What misconceptions do people have about North Korean culture?
Within this greater sense of patriotism, people are pretty much the same. They want a good job
and to do well in school. They want to date and to have a good time. They make their worlds
according to their wishes. It’s not a society of incarcerated people. It’s not like that at all.
How would you define an internationalist way of life to other people?
I would say it’s an attempt to always see yourself and how you’re connected to the world. Your
troubles and your achievements are always shared by other people. I think it’s this constant
attempt to empathize and sympathize. It’s more than traveling or going to see exotic places.
— Brad Bergner Photo By Mike Krebs
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