Dr. Wondong Lee
Biography
I am originally from South Korea and currently live with my wife, Shinae, and our two children, Judy and James. Much of my life outside of academic work is shaped by the everyday rhythms of family life—learning patience, care, and joy while raising young children. When time allows, I enjoy conversations that stretch across disciplines and cultures, reflecting on faith and public life, and thinking about how ideas travel and take root in different social contexts. I also enjoy playing badminton and unwinding by watching K-pop audition programs, which offer a window into contemporary youth culture and creative aspiration in Korea.
Education
Ph.D., Political Science, University of California, Irvine
M.A., Political Science, University of California, Irvine
M.A., Political Science (Coursework), Seoul National University
B.A., U.S. & International Law / International Studies, Handong Global University
Academic Interests
I am a scholar of international politics and the social scientific study of religion, with a particular interest in identity, political narratives, and transnational culture wars. My research examines how American culture war narratives travel across borders, and the ways in which specific discourses and symbolic repertoires encounter Korean social imaginaries to shape Christian political participation in South Korea. A central focus of my work is the transformation of Korean conservative Protestantism’s epistemic templates—especially the shift from Cold War–era anti-communist frameworks to contemporary culture war logics centered on gender, sexuality, religious freedom, and emergent forms of Christian nationalism. Drawing on qualitative methods such as discourse analysis, interviews, and archival research, I explore the interpretive mechanisms through which global religious knowledge networks mediate this transition and reconfigure the moral and political horizons of Korean Christianity.
As a De Vries Instructional Fellow at Calvin University, I coordinate the Korean version of the Reflecting Faith courses, working to facilitate thoughtful engagement between faith, scholarship, and lived experience in the context of higher education.
