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B.A. (Hons.), MDiv, PhD (cand.)

Born near Melbourne, but raised on the Sunshine Coast of Queensland, Karen’s Ministry and Academic interests have been heavily influenced by a decision to move to South Korea in 2005 after graduating from the University of Queensland with a Bachelor of Arts Honours in Communication and Cultural Studies. Since then Karen’s personal experiences, ministry and research have been married together − quite literally. Right before completing her Master of Divinity at Torch Trinity Graduate University in Seoul, she married a native Korean in 2011. While continuing her studies in Seoul at Yonsei University with a PhD in Pastoral Counselling, she gave birth to their son in 2014. Finding herself to be part of small group reflecting a larger dramatic shift in Korean society for which there was very little literature, Karen decided to write her Thesis on the Experiences of Western Women raising Biracial Children with their Korean spouses in Korea. Karen served as Youth Pastor for the English Ministry of Yoido Full Gospel Church (2008-2011) and as Associate Pastor in the Adult English Ministry (2011-2013). She also completed her counselling Internship and Residency at the Global Diaspora Coaching Network and Yonsei Counselling Centres seeing predominantly International Student clients. Karen’s particular research interests include multicultural counselling and how inter and intra personal dynamics are influenced by cultural and personal narratives. Monographs and papers Kim, Karen L. “Korea and the Gender Construction of Female Marriage Migrants” Pastoral Psychology 66 no. 1 (2017): 13-25. Contact Karen: