An expert in Korean studies, Hye-Sook Wang leads the EMSTL experiential session in South Korea. She introduces students to the Korean culture and the rise of Korea as a global technology leader. Her students gain a nuanced understanding of the societal and cultural context for innovation and the growth of technology-driven organizations, and develop a comparative framework for assessing innovation in their own culture and organizations.

Hye-Sook and faculty members from the graduate business school at a leading Korean university give students a privileged, local view of innovation strategies and practices used by Korea’s top technology companies.

Wang teaches Korean language and culture, and coordinates study abroad in Korea. Her research interests focus on how English learners acquire Korean as a second or foreign language; gender differences in language learning and usage, especially related to politeness; and cross-cultural and intercultural communication. She is the author, co-author, or editor of five books, and former editor of the Journal Korean Language in America. Wang is the elected president of the American Association of Teachers of Korean, and has received many awards for scholarship and service. She has received several visiting lecturer grants from the Academy of Korean Studies, a South Korean research and educational institute.

Wang earned a PhD in English Language and Linguistics at University of Wisconsin at Madison and an MA from Sogang University.