Hak-Seon Kim, Ph.D.

Hak-Seon Kim, Ph.D.

Professor, Office of International Affairs
Pukyong National University, Busan, Korea

Director of the Business Analytics Research Lab (BAR Lab). Works at the intersection of hospitality and tourism management and data science: big data text mining, GeoAI and spatial analytics, and eye-tracking consumer research. Editor-in-Chief of two journals, and advisor to 28 doctoral and 26 master's graduates from 12 countries.

EDUCATION

• Ph.D. Hospitality Administration, Texas Tech University, 2010
• M.S. Seoul National University
• B.S. Seoul National University

APPOINTMENTS

• 2026 to present Professor, Pukyong National University, Office of International Affairs
• 2026 Visiting Scholar, University of Mississippi (Nutrition and Hospitality Management)
• 2024 to 2025 Founding Dean, Global College, Kyungsung University
• 2019 to 2023 Founding Dean, Office of International Affairs, Kyungsung University
• 2017 Founding Director, Wellness Tourism Big Data Research Center
• 2011 to 2026 Professor, Kyungsung University
• 2010 Faculty, Florida State University

EDITORIAL ROLES

• Editor-in-Chief, Asia Business and Service Innovation (absi.kr)
• Editor-in-Chief, Culinary Science and Hospitality Research (KCI)
• Reviewer for International Journal of Tourism Research, Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Technology, Journal of Sustainable Tourism and others

RESEARCH INTERESTS

SELECTED RECENT PUBLICATIONS

• Riswanto & Kim (2026). Visual attention and user satisfaction in OTA platforms: An eye-tracking and big data approach. Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Technology.
• Sherpa, Kim, Riswanto, Nguyen & Kim (2026). The gastronomic identity shift: International students' food adaptation in South Korea. International Journal of Tourism Research, 28(2).
• Kim, Riswanto, Williady, Ekaputra & Kim (2025). A geospatial and big data exploration of tourism destinations: A case study of Busan. Electronic Markets, 35(1).
• Zhang, Zhong, Ekaputra & Kim (2026). Leveraging big data and spatial analysis for customer-centric evaluation of Chinese tourism performing arts. Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Technology.