
Jongsung Shin
BA Data Analytics, Business Administration
National Chengchi University
sjongsung97@gmail.com
International College of Innovation, National Chengchi University, No. 64, Sec. 2, ZhiNan Rd., Wenshan District, Taipei City 116011, Taiwan
Education
BA in Data Analytics and Business Administration
National Chengchi University
As a research assistant under Dr. Reidhead, I contribute to a project exploring Taiwan and Korean politics, focusing on data collection and analytics. With a major in data analytics from the International College of Innovation and a double major in Business Administration, I offer a diverse skill set to our research team.
Previously, I served as the student president of ICI, overseeing my department, and founded the SLAM language exchange club, a platform where local and international students gather. Through SLAM, I organize an English camp for local high school students.
For side projects, I authored 3 books: “Life Design Major 3 Principles: Happiness, Future Roadmaps, and Manifestation,” “AUS Working Holiday Guidebook,” and “K-Military Mindset Guidebook.” Additionally, I have been a stock and crypto investor since 2020.
Combining my academic journey, leadership experience, and community engagement, I am dedicated to contributing to our project. I am eager to apply my diverse skill set to shed light on this field.
Published Articles

Navigating bilingualization: Challenges and adaptation of Vietnamese master’s students in English-medium instruction under Taiwan’s Bilingual 2030 policy (2026)
Abstract
Purpose – This study investigates the challenges faced by Vietnamese master’s students enrolled in bilingual and English-Medium Instruction (EMI) programs in Taiwan. It examines how institutional, linguistic, cultural, financial, and health-related factors shape their academic and social adaptation within the bilingualization framework of Taiwan’s Bilingual 2030 Policy (BN2030). By doing so, it highlights implementation gaps and the sociolinguistic tensions embedded in Taiwan’s push for bilingual higher education.

Introducing Career Transition Data on Elites in North Korea. Journal of East Asian Studies (2025)
Abstract
We introduce a novel dataset mapping career transitions of 505 elites in North Korea. Despite ample attention to granular data on elites, there is a lack of comprehensive information spanning state, party, military, and parastatal sectors. Granular rank and position data enable tracing intra- and inter-institutional elite transitions, opening new research avenues on North Korean elite studies and leader-elite dynamics in personalist autocracies. Exploiting within-regime threat-level variation during successions, we test hypotheses on dictators’ use of intra- versus inter-institutional elite management. We conclude with implications for new research directions in North Korean studies and authoritarianism literature.

Decamping the Partisans: US Hegemony and South Korea’s Divisive Discourse on North Korean Human Rights. Korean Studies (2023)
Abstract
The question of what to do about North Korean human rights (NKHR) has never been more divisive. Some have explained the division in terms of prioritizing certain rights or movement strategies over others. In this paper, I demonstrate that neither of these explanations is consistent with the last three decades of South Korean public discourse on NKHR. Applying a novel combination of semantic network and discourse analysis on 28,795 South Korean newspaper articles between 1990 and 2016, I arrive at the following argument. The division between NKHR partisans in South Korea is not based on particular stances towards human rights but rather support or opposition to US hegemony and intervention on the Korean peninsula.

Social Trust. In The Routledge Handbook of Philosophy, Politics, and Economics (2022)
Abstract
This handbook advances the interdisciplinary field of Philosophy, Politics, and Economics by identifying thirty-five topics of ongoing research. Instead of focusing on historically significant texts, it features experts talking about current debates. Individually, each chapter provides a resource for new research. Together, the chapters provide a thorough introduction to contemporary work in PPE, which makes it an ideal reader for a senior-year course. The handbook is organized into seven parts, each with its own introduction and five chapters: I.Frameworks II.Decision-Making III.Social Structures IV.Markets V.Economic Systems VI.Distributive Justice VII.Democracy The “Frameworks” part discusses common tools and perspectives in PPE, and the “Decision-making” section shows different approaches to the study of choice. From there, parts on “Social Structures,” Markets” and “Economic Systems” each use tools from the three PPE disciplines to study and distinguish parts of society. The next part explains dominant theories and challenges to the paradigm of “Distributive Justice.” Finally, a part on “Democracy” offers five challenges to current democratic practice.

Nomination patronage and party splitting: Comparing intraparty politics in South Korea and Taiwan. PhD Dissertation (2020)
Abstract
The political party is a central feature of representative democracy. In the post-War and Third Wave democracies of East Asia, durable political parties have contributed to national development and democratic consolidation. In this context, the transience of South Korean political parties is an anomaly. While no new, major parties have been created in Japan or Taiwan since the 1990s, more than ten major parties have been created or reorganized in South Korea during this thirty year period. Explaining this variation in party stability is critical for advancing democracy in South Korea and understanding democracy in East Asia.

A prisoner’s dilemma of movement nationalization: North Korean human rights in South Korea, 1990–2016. In North Korean human rights: Activists and networks (2018)
Abstract Citation Reidhead, J. (2018). A prisoner’s dilemma of movement nationalization: North Korean human rights in South Korea, 1990–2016. North…
Works in Progress
Replacing Bosses with Cadres: Tokayev Tightens Central Control over Regional Akims
Reidhead, J. and Yerzhomartova, Ayazhan. (2025). Replacing Bosses with Cadres: Tokayev Tightens Central Control over Regional Akims.
The Sky is High and the Emperor is Far Away: Regional Economic Innovation in Post-Famine North Korea
Reidhead, J. and Park, Jeongsue. (2025). The Sky is High and the Emperor is Far Away: Regional Economic Innovation in…
Regional Leadership in Taiwan
Reidhead, J. and Kao, Chia-Lin. (2026). Regional Leadership in Taiwan.
Political Networks and Organizations Framework
Reidhead, J. (2025). Political Networks and Organizations Framework
Central Cadres or Local Bosses? Regional Party Leadership in South Korea
Reidhead, J. and Su, Evelyn. (2025). Central Cadres or Local Bosses? Regional Party Leadership in South Korea
