Yongtaek Kim
Associate Professor of Korean
- School of Modern Languages
Overview
Dr. Yongtaek Kim is Associate Professor of Korean in the School of Modern Languages. He received his PhD in Linguistics from the University of Oregon in 2009 and joined Georgia Tech as an Associate Professor of Korean in 2017. His research focuses on 1) The interrelation between how we perceive a situation in the external world and construe it as an event structure in a conceptualized world for linguistic encoding, 2) Contrastive linguistics between Korean and Japanese using cognitive and historical linguistic approaches, and 3) The application of cognitive linguistics to foreign language teaching.
His current teaching encompasses all levels of Korean language courses and various Korean content courses, such as Korean History via Media, Korean Culture and Society, and Intercultural Seminar. In Fall 2019, Summer 2021, Fall 2022, Summer 2023, and Fall 2023, his excellence in teaching was recognized through inclusion in the Class of 1934 CIOS Honor Roll. He has served on the Fulbright U.S. Student Program National Screening Committee (2021-2023).
- Ph.D. in Linguistics, University of Oregon
- M.A. in Linguistics, Sophia University
- B.A. in English Language and Literature, Yonsei University
Distinctions:
- Title of Project: K-Bridge Initiative, Agency/Company: Korea Foundation USA, Total Dollar Amount: $20,000, Role: PI, Period of Contract: Fall 2025 – Spring 2026
Interests
- Utilizing K-webtoons, dramas, and films as primary texts for advanced Korean language courses.
- Examining Korean history, society, and culture through the medium of historical cinema.
- Integrating technology—such as apps and online courses—to create engaging, untethered learning experiences.
- Leading study abroad programs, such as ‘Feel the Korean Beat,’ to explore Korean history and culture with a focus on Korean traditional music, such as Samulnori and haegeum.
- Historical Linguistics examining diachronic and synchronic changes in North and South Korean languages
- Applied Linguistics for Korean pedagogy, integrating content, literature, and technology
- Instructional Technologies for Foreign Language Acquisition
- Korean
- Linguistics
- Studies Abroad
Focuses:
- Asia (East)
- Cinema Studies
- Digital and Mixed Media
- East-Asian Studies
- Language and Popular Culture
Courses
- KOR-1001: Elementary Korean I
- KOR-1002: Elementary Korean II
- KOR-2001: Intermediate Korean I
- KOR-2002: Intermediate Korean II
- KOR-2813: Special Topics
- KOR-2823: Special Topics
- KOR-3001: Advanced Korean I
- KOR-3002: Advanced Korean II
- KOR-3410: Korea Old and New
- KOR-3415: Korean K-Pop/Film/Drama
- KOR-3843: Special Topics
- KOR-4001: Contemporary Korean
- KOR-4002: Select Rdngs Of Mod Kor
- KOR-4500: Intercultural Seminar
- KOR-4691: Korean Society
- KOR-4699: Undergraduate Research
- KOR-6001: Contemporary Korean
- KOR-6500: Intercultural Sem Korean
- KOR-8803: Special Topics
- KOR-8804: Special Topics
- ML-2500: Intro Cross-Cult Studies
Publications
Selected Publications
Journal Articles
- Linguistic manifestations of fictive change participants: Apparent alternations between the accusative and the dative/comitative cases in Korean and Japanese (with K. Izutsu)
In: Asian Languages and Linguistics [Peer Reviewed]
Date: February 2020
Chapters
- The Kubo Project: Content-Language-Technology Integration through Literature
In: How to actively engage our students in the language classes [Peer Reviewed]
Date: December 2022
- Application of Extended Semantic Map Model to the Korean and Japanese Resultative Constructions
In: Papers in Commemoration of Professor Yoshihisa Nakamura’s Retirement: Perspective of a Language
Date: March 2018
- A Comparative Study of Inverse Voice in Korean and Japanese
In: Harvard Studies in Korean Linguistics XV
Date: March 2014
Conferences
- Diachronic shifts of Korean Pyello and Japanese Amari from PPI to NPI
In: Japanese/Korean Linguistics 27
Date: July 2020
All Publications
Journal Articles
- Linguistic manifestations of fictive change participants: Apparent alternations between the accusative and the dative/comitative cases in Korean and Japanese (with K. Izutsu)
In: Asian Languages and Linguistics [Peer Reviewed]
Date: February 2020
Chapters
- The Kubo Project: Content-Language-Technology Integration through Literature
In: How to actively engage our students in the language classes [Peer Reviewed]
Date: December 2022
- Application of Extended Semantic Map Model to the Korean and Japanese Resultative Constructions
In: Papers in Commemoration of Professor Yoshihisa Nakamura’s Retirement: Perspective of a Language
Date: March 2018
- A Comparative Study of Inverse Voice in Korean and Japanese
In: Harvard Studies in Korean Linguistics XV
Date: March 2014
- Subjectification and Grammaticalization: A Case Study of Modal Auxiliaries in Japanese and Korean
Date: March 2010
Conferences
- Diachronic shifts of Korean Pyello and Japanese Amari from PPI to NPI
In: Japanese/Korean Linguistics 27
Date: July 2020
Updated: Feb 11th, 2026 at 1:41 PM