Joo Young Kim was born in Korea but spent most of his childhood in West Africa, having lived in Sierra Leone, the Gambia, Ghana, Côte d'Ivoire, and Niger. After serving as an officer in the Republic of Korea Navy, he worked for the US Army as a language specialist for the past four years. Joo Young joined the MSFS program at Georgetown to transition away from the military/security sector and to pursue his interests in emerging technologies, energy, and food security, preferably with regards to development in West Africa. In Georgetown, he hopes to expand his knowledge of either emerging technologies, energy, or food security, and hopes to specialize in one of those specific fields. After graduation, Joo Young hopes to work for an international consultancy that does technological development work with West African nations.

"I chose MSFS because of its reputation as the most prestigious IR program in the United States."