Seong-Uk Kim received both his BS (1996, Chemistry) and MA (2005, Religious Studies) from Sogang University in Seoul, South Korea. He completed a second MA (2007) at University of Georgia in Athens in Buddhism, with special focus on Tsung-mi’s thought. He completed his PhD in 2013.

His research interests include Sino-Korean Chan/Sŏn traditions and historical interactions between Sino-Korean monks and Confucian literati. He is currently working on his dissertation, which centers on an early nineteenth century Korean debate between the monks Paekp’a and Ch’oui about Sŏn hermeneutical classifications, which revolves around Chan/ Sŏn classifications of Linji’s "three mysteries" and "three essentials."