About EWRI
BACKGROUND
The East-West Research Institute(EWRI) was founded by Dr. Hugo Wheegook KIM, May 1990 to promote U.S.-Korea relations and the two-Korea relations for peaceful unification. The EWRI is dedicated to the advancement of East Asian studies particularly in the field of Korean affairs. The EWRI provides public policy makers with a strategic perspective on issues relating to international relations, economics and business, and international security affairs pertaining to the two Koreas and the four powers of United States, China, Japan, and Russia.
President and Founder of East-West Research Institute (EWRI)
Dr. Hugo Wheegook Kim is President and Founder of the East-West Research Institute in the suburban area of Washington, DC. He is the Editor-in-Chief of the International Journal of Korean Studies (IJKS), and serves the Council on U.S.-Korean Security Studies (CUSKOS) for its annual conferences.
Dr. Kim is interested in political economy and strategic studies, and currently working on a book manuscript entitled "History of Politics and Economy: Theory and Practice" for students of politics and economics as well as general readers. His recent research includes "A Historical Overview of the Immigration to the United States and Political Participation of Asian Americans" (EWRI Monograph, March 2003), "Did South Korea Choose the Best Growth Strategy and Will North Korea Follow the Lessons from the South?" (Journal of the Korean Economy, Spring 2002), "Regional Integration and Inter-Korean Economic Cooperation" (Korean Journal of Defense Analysis, Spring 2002), "From Confrontation to Cooperation: A New Paradigm for Inter-Korean Relations" (Korean Journal of Defense Analysis, Winter 1999), "Democratization and Economic Development in South Korea" (International Journal of Korean Studies, Fall/Winter 1998), "The Impact of Sino-American Relations on Korean Unification" (Journal of East Asian Affairs, Winter/Spring 1997), and "Problems and Remedies of the North Korean Economy" (Korean Journal of Defense Analysis, Winter 1996). He published three books: Korean Americans and Inter-Korean Relations (Washington, DC: East-West Research Institute, 2003), Towards The Land of Hope: South Korea Viewed from Washington (Seoul: Oreum Publications, 1998), and Mobilization and Industrial Potential for War (Seoul: Korea National Defense University, 1987, Co-Authored). Dr. Kim has been contributing essays to Hankook Ilbo Washington, a Korean American daily newspaper, and writes articles for the Korea Defense Review from time to time (Click for more publications).
Dr. Kim received a B.S. from the Korea Military Academy in Seoul, South Korea in 1966, and graduated from the Korean Army Commander and Staff College in Chinhae in 1977. Receiving his MBPA from the Southeastern University in Washington, DC in 1981, Dr. Kim earned his M.A. and Ph.D. in Economics from the Catholic University of America in Washington, DC. During his active duty, he experienced various positions in the Korean Army, and retired as a Professor of the Korea National Defense University in Seoul in 1987 when he moved to the United States. Teaching at the Southeastern University during 1989-1991, Dr. Kim participated in research activities as an Adjunct Fellow of the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, DC during 1994-1999. He is a founding member of the International Council on Korean Studies (ICKS) and served as an Executive Board Member during the period of 1996-2008. Dr. Kim and his wife EJ have two married daughters living in Virginia and California, and all of his family members became U.S. citizens.