Wonhee is now a full-time researcher at the Jangseogak Archives, Academy of Korean Studies, where he oversees the various “globalization” projects. He received his PhD from Yale University (2014) for a dissertation on “Beyond Tolerance: The Mongols’ religious policies in Yuan China and ll-Khanate Iran (1200–1368).” He received his Bachelor’s degree in English Language & Literature and his Master’s degree in Asian History from Seoul National University. As a historian of the Mongol empire (1206–1368), Wonhee is particularly interested in religion, comparative empire studies, digital humanities, and cross-cultural interactions. 

Wonhee’s book project, entitled Empire and Religion: Politics of Difference and Negotiation in the Mongol Empire (1206–1368), examines the different religions of the Mongol empire in China, namely Buddhism, Daoism, Christianity, and Islam, and their interactions with the empire. During his tenure at NYU Shanghai, Wonhee completed two articles, both of which have been accepted for publication: “Negotiated Privilege: The Tax Exemption Policies concerning Religion under the Mongol-Yuan Empire” (Journal of the Economic and Social History of the Orient, forthcoming), and “From Military Leaders to Administrative Experts: The Biography of the ‘Treacherous Minister’ Temüder and his Ancestors” (Asiatische Studien – Études Asiatiques). His forthcoming article, “Negotiated Privilege: The Tax Exemption Policies concerning Religion under the Mongol-Yuan Empire” (Journal of the Economic and Social History of the Orient 66-1), has been accepted for publication in 2020.