Yung Suk Kim

Yung Suk Kim
Born	Daegu, South Korea
Nationality	Korean-American
Occupation	Biblical scholar and author
Academic background
Education	Kyungpook National University, McCormick Theological Seminary
Alma mater	Vanderbilt University (PhD)
Thesis year	2006
Academic work
Discipline	Biblical studies
Institutions	Samuel DeWitt Proctor School of Theology Virginia Union University

Yung Suk Kim is a Korean-American biblical scholar and author. Kim is Associate Professor of New Testament and Early Christianity at the Samuel DeWitt Proctor School of Theology, Virginia Union University in Richmond. He studied in Korean and American schools. Kim holds the following degrees: a PhD degree in the area of New Testament studies from Vanderbilt University (2006), an M.Div from McCormick Theological Seminary (1999), and a B.A from Kyungpook National University (1985). Kim is editor of a new online peer-reviewed journal, Journal of Bible and Human Transformation in which intersections of the Bible and human transformation are explored. He is also a new editor of the Journal of Race, Ethnicity, and Religion since Nov. 2014.

Biography

Kim grew up in a farming village in Kyungsan, Kyungbuk of South Korea. He finished elementary school, middle school and high school in his hometown. Kim majored at economics at Kyungpook National University. Kim had a mandatory military service as a member of the KATUSA at a U.S military base in Korea. After graduation from college, Kim worked at the LG Electronics headquarter and in foreign branches such as in Panama (Republic of Panama) and Miami, FL. During this business career, Kim encountered new cultures and people in Latin America. Then, remembering who he was growing up in Korea, Kim made a radical decision about his career while working in Miami, that he quitted his job to pursue a theological degree. He went to Chicago to attend for an M.Div degree. After a successful completion of his theological master's degree at McCormick, Kim was accepted at a PhD program toward New Testament Studies at Vanderbilt University. At his PhD work, Kim focused on Paul's letters. He defended his dissertation titled SOMA CHRISTOU: DE(RE)CONSTRUCTION in 2006. He started teaching in 2005 because he was appointed as assistant professor of New Testament at Virginia Union University.

Contribution

Yung Suk Kim's contribution to biblical studies and New Testament studies in particular lies in his critical contextual biblical interpretation. His argument that "the body of Christ" in 1 Cor 12:27 can be read as a metaphor for "a way of living" is not only unique but convincing among New Testament scholars. His book on contextual biblical interpretation is also widely read and used in classroom.

External Links

• Faculty Page
• CV