Biography

Beong-Soo Kim, JD

President
Robert C. Packard President’s Chair

As the 13^th President of the University of Southern California, Beong-Soo Kim leads one of the world’s top private research universities — home to 23 schools; more than 46,000 students; 4,700 faculty; 500,000 alumni; and Keck Medicine of USC, one of California’s leading academic health systems — all united by a mission to advance knowledge, educate future leaders, and transform lives. Kim was appointed president by the USC Board of Trustees in February 2026, following seven months serving as interim president. 

As president, Kim launched the Open Dialogue Project, aimed at strengthening USC’s academic culture of engagement with differing perspectives. He also formed an AI Strategy Committee, and launched a number of university-wide initiatives to engage faculty, staff, and students on the opportunities and challenges posed by AI in research, the classroom, and operations. Recognizing the importance of the Trojan Family, Kim has focused on re-engaging alumni across the globe, including by relaunching alumni networks. He has also worked to strengthen USC’s partnerships with private industry, foundations, and local community organizations and leaders. Kim is recognized for his thought leadership on free expression and the future of higher education, and enjoys communicating with broader audiences and the Trojan Family through his presidential podcast, “Trojan Talks.” 

Kim first joined USC in 2020 as senior vice president and general counsel. After helping the university navigate through the Covid pandemic, he resolved the university’s legacy legal issues, reinforced the university’s policies against discrimination, strengthened governance over the health system and health sciences schools, and enabled major investments in research and innovation. He has also been deeply involved in USC’s athletics programs, having served as a key member of the athletics department’s interim leadership team in 2023.

Prior to USC, Kim held senior roles at Kaiser Permanente, was a partner at an international law firm, and served in the U.S. Department of Justice, where he led the major frauds section in Los Angeles.

Kim has taught constitutional interpretation at Harvard, trial advocacy at the National Advocacy Center, and served as an adjunct professor at USC Gould School of Law. He is a frequent speaker on academic freedom, health system compliance, and the future of college athletics.

The son of Korean immigrants who both attended graduate school at USC, Kim was born and raised in the Los Angeles area, where he attended local public schools before graduating Phi Beta Kappa and magna cum laude from Harvard College. He earned a master’s degree from the London School of Economics and his law degree from Harvard Law School.

During the Covid-19 pandemic, Kim and his wife, Bonnie Wongtrakool, performed cello and piano “porch concerts” for their neighbors, reflecting their belief in the power of service, community, and the arts. Together, they have two children.