Yeji Kim 김예지

Yeji Kim is a Korea researcher and human rights advocate with a decade of field experience across East Asia, Europe, and the United States.

I believe in a Republic of Korea where every person can reach their full potential — whether they were born there, or chose to make it home. The Korean peninsula sits at one of the most complex intersections of human rights, migration, and geopolitics in the world. Too often, the people at the centre of these issues are spoken about but never spoken with. My work exists to change that.

My mission is to empower migrants moving in and out of Korea: North Korean workers sent abroad under state coercion, refugees rebuilding their lives in the South, and anyone navigating the barriers that keep people from safety, dignity, and opportunity. I build the research, the coalitions, and the advocacy strategies that connect affected communities to the institutions with the power to act.

I care deeply about three things: ➊ empowering Asian women to define freedom on their own terms; ➋ building the conviction of young people in Korea in their own vision and potential; and ➌ making migration a force for human progress, not a source of suffering. If your work touches any of these, I would love to hear from you.

I currently lead the DPRK project at Global Rights Compliance, an international humanitarian law firm, and serve as Director of Nox Analytica, supporting migrants in Korea with economic empowerment. In the fall of 2026, I join the University of Oxford as a Visiting Studies Fellow at the Refugee Studies Centre.

Education

- DPhil in International Development, University of Oxford (offer holder)
- MSc in Refugee and Forced Migration Studies, University of Oxford
- BA in Philosophy and International Studies, Ewha Womans University

Certification

• Legal Interpreter, Republic of Korea (2020)