He has a strong research background in leisure, ethnicity, and health. Kim is involved in research projects examining the value of intergroup contact and acculturation with a diverse sample of groups such as Korean immigrant adolescents and foreigners who immigrated to Korea. He was also a research assistant for the Wounded Warrior Project at Pennsylvania State University, which explored various aspects of leisure and recreation in relation to healing and the recovery process. One of his more prominent publications, titled “Exploring the Experience of Intergroup Contact and the Value of Recreation Activities in Facilitating Positive Intergroup Interactions of Immigrants,” appeared in Leisure Sciences. He received his PhD from Pennsylvania State University.