In the News: Sunglim Kim in The New York Times & The Washington Post

She is quoted in an article in The New York Times about contemporary textile artist Lee ShinJa. 

At 95, Lee ShinJa Weaves Artistic Exploration into Legacy - The New York Times

" 'Lee's uniqueness lies in combining artistic innovation with structural impact,' Sunglim Kim, a Dartmouth art historian who specializes in Korean art and culture, said in an email. 'She reframed materials traditionally confined to women's hands as a language of contemporary art. She treats fiber as a site for thinking about gender, memory, landscape, and resilience.' "

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She is also quoted in an article in The New York Times about the repatriation by the Metropolitan Museum of Art of a Buddhist painting that disappeared from a Korean temple during the Korean War. 

Met Returns Buddhist Painting Thought Taken During the Korean War - The New York Times

"Sunglim Kim, an associate professor at Dartmouth College and an expert in Korean art and cultural history, said that during the Korean War, temples, cultural sites and even private homes were frequently damaged, evacuated or taken over for military use.

'In numerous documented cases, items brought to the United States by soldiers were not part of any official directive,' she said. 'They were often taken because they appeared to be left behind in destroyed or deserted buildings.'

Dr. Kim said that recognizing this context was not about assigning blame but about acknowledging that such items were part of a 'distinct category of cultural loss.' "

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Most recently, she is quoted in an article in The Washington Post on a Korean art exhibit at the Smithsonian and the growing interest in Korean culture as a result of the success of the movie "K-Pop Demon Hunters" and similar cultural producations that incorporate Korean culture.

'Korean Treasures' arrives at Smithsonian in time for KPop Demon Hunters mania - The Washington Post

"Sunglim Kim, a professor of Korean art history at Dartmouth College, sees the rise of K-culture as part of a larger story. Chinoiserie popularized Chinese visual culture in 18th-century Europe, and Edo-period woodblock prints spread Japanese aesthetics to the West, influencing impressionism and art nouveau. 'It is not an isolated trend,' she said, 'but the latest chapter in the centuries-long dialogue between East Asia and the world.'

For Kim, who years ago did her PhD under a Chinese art professor because no one at her university taught Korean art, the Smithsonian exhibition marks a vital chapter. The show reflects 'a decisive shift from viewing Korean art as a regional adjunct to China and Japan toward recognizing it as an autonomous and essential voice within world art history,' she said."