Faculty Bio

Ji Young Choi

Associate Professor in the Department of Politics & Government; East Asian Studies Program Director

Education

• B.A., Yonsei University
• M.I.S., Sogang University
• M.A., University of Kansas
• Ph.D., Purdue University

About

Ji Young Choi is associate professor of Politics and Government and affiliated professor of International Studies at Ohio Wesleyan University where he also is Director of East Asian Studies. He specializes in international relations history and theories, international political economy, foreign policy, and East Asian security and political economy.

Choi completed his Ph.D. at Purdue University, where he taught introductory courses in International Relations and Comparative Politics as an independent instructor and won a Graduate Student Award for Outstanding Teaching in 2007. A native of South Korea, Choi earned a B.A. in Philosophy at Yonsei University and his M.I.S. (Master of International Studies) with top honors at Sogang University, both in Seoul, Korea. Further, he went on to earn his M.A. in Political Science at the University of Kansas, where his M.A. thesis passed with honor.

Choi is attracted to doing policy-relevant research grounded in a systematic study of historical patterns and experiences. His research interests are in the rise and fall of nations or great powers, the politics of economic and financial globalization, East Asian regionalism, US-China relations, and the Korean peninsula. He published numerous articles in peer-reviewed scholarly journals and has presented many articles at national and international conferences and workshops. The workshops include the ones hosted by the U.S. Department of State. His media appearances include Voice of America (a Washington-based international radio network) and All Sides with Ann Fisher (a live radio talk show, NPR FM radio).

His book, The Politics of South Korea: A Comprehensive Introduction (Lynne Rienner Publishers) is forthcoming in 2024! This book is an updated and well-balanced thematic and comprehensive introduction to South Korea with insightful analyses of  the country from international and comparative perspectives. The book addresses the political and economic history of North Korea as well as inter-Korean relations. It also includes a timely subject, the rise of the culture industry and the 4th industrial revolution, and covers the new trend of the K-Pop industry.

In the Media

• A studio talk at All Sides with Ann Fisher on North Korea
• Presentation on Global Supply Chains and US National Security

Publications / Presentations

• The Politics of South Korea: A Comprehensive Introduction. Boulder, CO: Lynne Rienner Publishers (Forthcoming).
• "The Crisis of Globalization and Its Future," From Our Perspective: OWU Faculty Opinions (February 10, 2021) (An expanded version of this article is available at my Google site).
• "The Politics of the Coronavirus Pandemic," From Our Perspective: OWU Faculty Opinions (April 6, 2020).
• "Globalization, the Rise of East Asian Economies, and State Policies," The Global Studies Journal, Vol. 11, No. 1 (2018): 1-14.
• "Historical and Theoretical Perspectives on the Rise of China: Long Cycles, Power Transitions, and China's Ascent," Asian Perspective, Vol. 42, No. 1 (2018): 61-84.
• "Rationality, Norms, and Identity in International Relations," International Politics, Vol. 52, No. 1 (2015): 110-127.
• "East Asian Financial Regionalism and the Politics of Global Financial Governance: Structural and Institutional Power in Global and Regional Governance," Pacific Focus, Vol. 28, No. 3 (2013): 411-434.
• "A Comparative Analysis of Economic Regionalism in Europe and East Asia: A Historical Institutionalist Approach," Journal of International and Area Studies, Vol. 19, No. 1 (2012): 59-77.
• "Rethinking Economic Development and the Financial Crisis in South Korea and the State in an Era of Globalization," Journal of Third World Studies, Vol. 26, No. 2 (2009): 203 – 226.