Kim Lacey, a doctoral candidate in WashU’s Department of History in Arts & Sciences, has won a 2025-26 Korea Foundation (KF) Scholarship for Graduate Studies.
The yearlong scholarship is among the most prestigious and competitive in the field of Korean studies. It is open to master’s and doctoral candidates from around the world, with approximately 150 recipients each year.
Lacey’s project, “Koreitsy: Ethnic Koreans in the Former Soviet Republics, 1863-Present,” examines the lives of ordinary Korean migrants who moved to the Russian Far East and the lives of their descendants across Eurasia. In addition to using various archival sources assembled in six different countries, her research incorporates observations and oral histories of people from various parts of the Commonwealth of Independent States, which she collected during field work from 2022-24.
“I aim to push the geographical boundaries and the methodological limits of existing studies of Soviet and Korean history through my work, especially by telling the stories of underrepresented groups, such as the elderly, women and children,” Lacey said.
Established in 1991, the Korea Foundation supports public diplomacy through international cooperation, art and cultural exchange, and the promotion of Korean studies. The KF scholarships, launched in 1994, aim to foster a new generation of scholars in Korean studies by supporting outstanding graduate students whose research focuses on topics related to Korea. For more information, visit the Korea Foundation website.
