So-Rim Lee

So-Rim Lee is the Korea Foundation Assistant Professor of Korean Culture, Performance, and Gender at the University of Pennsylvania’s School of Arts & Sciences, Department of East Asian Languages and Civilizations. She holds a PhD from Stanford University and advanced degrees from RADA-Birkbeck (UK), Seoul National University, and Columbia University. Her research explores the politics of embodiment in Korea and the diaspora through performance studies, queer/disability justice, and feminist activism. Current projects include a book on plastic surgery as a cultural remedy in South Korea, analyzing its entanglement with biopolitics and individual desire.

Research Interests:

• Politics of embodiment and disability justice
• Korean diaspora media studies
• Queer feminist critiques of popular culture
• Critical engagements with plastic surgery and beauty ideals

Teaching: Courses include Gender and Sexuality in Korea, New Korean Cinema, and Korean Popular Culture analysis. She actively participates in the Program in Gender, Sexuality, and Women's Studies and the James Joo-Jin Kim Center for Korean Studies.

Professional Affiliations: Serves on executive boards for Gender Studies and Korean Studies programs, with graduate group memberships in Cinema and Media Studies.