I am a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Government and Politics at the University of Maryland. I earned a bachelor’s degree in political science and sociology from Sungkonghoe University and a master’s degree in political science from Korea University.  

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My research examines how repression and violence affect protest as relational and evolving processes. I explore when activists and ordinary people choose to resist or adapt, and how violence changes the trajectory of collective action. I argue that the impact of repression is shaped through interpretation and visibility; it is not just endured, but strategically confronted and perceptually processed. I focus on how people act, feel, and communicate under threat, revealing the interplay between strategic adaptation and affective expression in contentious politics.

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Methodologically, I primarily draw on statistical and network-based approaches to uncover structural patterns, perceptual shifts, and strategic adaptations under repression, using a broad array of data sources.

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​​​Email: hanskwak@umd.edu