Yeji Han

Dr. Yeji Han is a Senior Lecturer in Korean and Linguistics at York St John University's School of Education, Language and Psychology, where she serves as Programme Lead for the BA Korean degree. With qualifications including a BA from South Korea, MA from the US, and PhD from Canada, she holds Fellowship of the Higher Education Academy (FHEA) status.

Her research interests center on applied linguistics, particularly second language learning and use. Her PhD dissertation focused on motivation and its influence on language use among Vietnamese learners of Korean. She has continued to explore topics including motivation, foreign language enjoyment, mobile communication, multimodal language use, study abroad experiences, and intercultural communication. Currently, she is Co-Investigator on two externally-funded projects: 'Mobile-assisted language learning among Korean language learners' (funded by Academy of Korean Studies with USD 20,000) and 'Mental health suffering due to English fever in South Korea' (funded by Academy of Medical Sciences with GBP 22,600).

Dr. Han's recent publications demonstrate strong trends in understanding emotional factors in language learning, particularly examining foreign language enjoyment in relation to cultural contexts, and investigating motivational profiles of Korean language learners. Her work spans multiple subfields including regulatory focus theory, L2 self-concept, and the psychological aspects of language acquisition.

She is an active member of the academic community, serving as:

• Member of British Association for Applied Linguistics (BAAL)
• Board member of The Korea Contents Association (KoCon)
• Proposer of BAAL's Asian Language Education in Global Contexts SIG
• Ad-hoc reviewer for multiple journals including Journal of Second Language Writing and Journal of Multilingualism and Multilingual Development
• Reviewer of book proposals for major academic publishers

Dr. Han has significant experience in educational impact activities, having served as an editorial board member for government-authorized English textbooks for South Korean secondary schools (2012-2014), and regularly participating as a plenary speaker and seminar leader for English teacher societies in South Korea. In the UK, she has hosted externally-funded public engagement events focused on Korean language and cultural artifacts.