Hello there!

My name is Hakbong KIM and I'm a freelance translator based in the Republic of Korea (i.e. South Korea).

I was born in Korea, raised for the best part of my primary school years in Australia, returned to Korea for my secondary schooling, then went back to Australia to complete my undergraduate and postgraduate tertiary education, and finally returned to Korea to begin my professional career.
I know, that almost looks like a rally between Nadal and Djokovic in a do-or-die five setter but in short, I was raised as a hybrid between Aussie and Korean cultures. I was also trained as an interpreter for the Korean Air Force, which put me on this exciting path that I'm on right now.

I majored in business and finance at University (the Australian National University) so I have a strong background in those two fields as well as related disciplines. I began my professional career working at a public organization in Korea overseeing the verification of insurance premiums which helped me get a good grasp of not only insurance and finance but also the inner workings of Korean institutions.

Then, I moved onto work at a postgraduate level school in Korea specializing in training mid-career public sector personnel from developing countries around the world. At the school, I was the international affairs coordinator entrusted with communicating with more than 50 organizations worldwide. More specifically, I drafted Memorandum of Understandings, proposals for national grants and collaborative programs, newsletters etc.

I decided to become a full-time translator because I saw it as a way to satisfy two things in life. My love for English and Korean as languages, and the variety of subjects/topics translation brings me.

I'm also an avid NBA fan (Nikola Jokic of the Denver Nuggets is my favorite player at the moment), habitual wanderer (traveled to 26 countries so far), and a history-lover (I'm fascinated in the period between late-Republican Rome and the Crusades).

So far in life, I've discovered that I have one "gift" - the gift of having an eclectic interest. I'm interested virtually any topic and I'll go down a rabbit hole for hours if something pulls my leg. That's why translation as a job is fascinating to me - you never know what you might come across and that's just perfect for me.

So, if you have a job, just give me a nudge. Or! If you're travelling to Korea, get in touch because I'd be happy to give you a few pointers.

Thanks for reading! I'll see you out there.