Youjin Kong (공유진)

Welcome! I am an Assistant Professor in the Department of Philosophy at Seoul National University, South Korea (서울대학교 철학과).

I was previously an Assistant Professor at the University of Georgia (2023-24) and a Visiting Assistant Professor at Oregon State University (2020-22). I earned my PhD in Philosophy from Michigan State University, and my MA and BA in Philosophy from Seoul National University.

View my latest CV for full details, including links to publications. 

Research

Situated at the nexus of social/political philosophy, feminist philosophy, and AI ethics, my research analyzes and challenges social injustice through philosophical frameworks: 

• Responsible and Fair AI: I examine how AI systems perpetuate gender and racial injustice and develop philosophical frameworks to promote justice in socio-technical systems. Recent work critically analyzes prevailing interpretations of intersectional fairness in AI (FAccT 2022: Keynote Panelist, cited over 90 times; a shorter version available at APA Blog 2022). It also integrates distributive and relational egalitarianism as the normative foundation for a more just AI (FAccT 2025/ACM Journal on Responsible Computing 2025).

• Oppression and Social Identity: I explore how social identities at the margin, such as those of women of color, are shaped by and reshape the power dynamics of oppression. Recent projects include (i) an analysis of self-care as a morally valuable expression of agency under oppression and (ii) the development of a typology of racialization in relation to racism and xenophobia. Publications include ERGO 2023 (leading philosophy journal), Routledge Handbook of Non-Ideal Theory 2024, and The Pluralist 2017 (Best Paper Prize).

Teaching

I teach courses in moral, social, and feminist philosophy, including those addressing ethical and social issues in AI. At Seoul National University, I have developed a new Philosophy of Gender course and co-developed a microdegree program in Sustainable AI Leadership. My commitment to active, innovative teaching has been recognized with a Teaching Excellence Award (2019) at Michigan State University and an Outstanding Service Award (2021) at Oregon State University.