B.J. Kim, PhD

B.J. supports BGA clients on the ground in Korea, advising them on stakeholder engagement and larger government affairs and public policy matters in Seoul. A former Korean diplomat, B.J. has advised international firms on political-economic and policy-regulatory affairs since 2003, offering monitoring and analytical services on legislative, regulatory and political issues. He also has offered companies hands-on support in their engagement in Korea.

Prior to his career in consulting, B.J. was a diplomat serving two of Korea’s trade ministers as policy counselor and special assistant, developing international economic policies and public communications strategies on export and investment promotion. He has served at the National Assembly’s Climate Change and Energy Policy Forum and the Policy and Performance Evaluation Committee of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade. He advised the 2012 Seoul Nuclear Security Summit preparation team, the 2010 G20 Preparation Committee and the Presidential Committee on the Korea-U.S. Free Trade Agreement in 2007.

Concurrent to his work with BGA, B.J. runs the consulting firm Kim, Lee & Partners (KL&P), which advises international firms on the Korean market. He also has experience representing the Korean business sector as the former director of external affairs at the Washington, D.C., office of the Korea International Trade Association. His Washington career began as a consultant economist at the World Bank, specializing in the trade policies of East Asian economies. Since 1998, he has taught export-driven development policies, international political economy and public communication as adjunct professor of international studies at Hankuk University of Foreign Studies.

B.J. received his Ph.D. from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Department of Political Science, specializing in international political economy.

• Prior Professional Experience
  • Head, Kim, Lee & Partners (2003-Present)
  • Affiliate Professor of International Studies, Hanuk University of Foreign Studies (1999-Present)
  • Policy Counsellor & Special Assistant to the Trade Minister, The Ministry of Foreign Affairs & Trade, Republic of Korea (1998-2002)
  • Director of Public Affairs and Research, Korea International Trade Association in Washington, D.C. (1995-1998)
• Areas of Expertise

  Geographic

  • Korea
  • Northeast Asia

  Industries

  • Aerospace & Aviation
  • Agriculture
  • Automotive
  • Autonomous Vehicles
  • Biotechnology
  • Communications
  • Consulting
  • Defense
  • E-Commerce
  • Education
  • Electronics
  • Energy
  • Entertainment
  • Environmental
  • Finance
  • FinTech
  • Food & Beverage
  • Government
  • Government Affairs
  • Healthcare
  • Hedgefunds
  • Hospitality
  • ICT
  • Insurance
  • Legal
  • Manufacturing
  • Marketing
  • Media
  • Medical Devices
  • Not for Profit
  • Pharmaceuticals
  • Private Equity
  • Public Relations
  • Real Estate
  • Retail
  • Technology
  • Telecommunications
  • Think Tank
  • Transportation
  • Travel & Tourism
  • Utilities
  • Venture Capital

  Functional Expertise

  • Accounting & Finance
  • Administrative & Management
  • Business
  • Communications
  • Corporate Affairs
  • Corporate Social Responsibility
  • Government
  • Government Affairs
  • Human Resources
  • Management
  • Marketing
  • Operations
  • Policy
  • Production
  • Public Affairs
  • Research & Development
  • Sales
  • Strategy
• Education
  • Massachusetts Institute of Technology (1999)— PhD in Political Science
  • University of Wisconsin- Madison (1990)— Bachelor of Arts with Honors in Economics, Political Science, & International Studies
• Professional Affiliations
  • The Korean Political Science Association (Life-time Member)
  • The Korean Association of International Studies (Life-time Member)
  • The Passport Policy Committee of the Republic of Korea (2010- 2019)
  • The Performance Evaluation Committee, Ministry of Foreign Affairs & Trade (2005- 2008)
• Honors and Awards
  • U.S. Air Force Office of Scientific Research Award (1993)
  • U.S. Department of Education Foreign Language and Area Studies Fellowship Award (1992)
  • M.I.T. Political Science Department Fellowship Award (1991)
  • M.I.T. Center for International Studies Fellowship Award (1990)
• Selected Publications and Presentations
  • “The 1980s’ Unilateral Trade Liberalization in South Korea,” Korea Development Institute, 2017
  • “Political Foundations for Sustainable Development in South Korea,” Korea Development Institute, 2016
  • “Friendship in Need of Substance” in Derek Mitchell ed., Strategy and Settlement: South Korean Views of the United States and the U.S.-ROK Alliance”, CSIS, 2006
  • “Korea Meets the United States: Korea-US FTA Vision Explained”