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So Young Kim

Seoul National University · Medicine

About the Lab

Professor So Young Kim's research lab focuses on population health and epidemiological studies, with a strong emphasis on the interplay between lifestyle factors—such as smoking, alcohol consumption, dietary habits, and screen or internet use—and chronic health conditions, mental health, and neurocognitive outcomes in adolescents and middle-to-older-aged adults. The lab specializes in large-scale, nationally representative cohort studies to identify modifiable risk factors for diseases like Bell’s palsy, dementia, and asthma, while rigorously adjusting for confounders. Their work often integrates behavioral risk factors with clinical and demographic data to inform public health policy.

epidemiologylifestyle factorsdementiaasthmayouth health

Research Overview

Papers
481
Total Citations
14,039
Papers (5y)
56
Primary Field
Medicine

Research Output Trend

Figures are computed from collected data and may differ slightly.

Publications per year (5y)
56total
2022
2023
2024
2025
2026
Citations per year (5y)
724total
20222023202420252026

Selected Papers

15
1
Article|124 citations·2019
Bidirectional Association Between GERD and Asthma: Two Longitudinal Follow-Up Studies Using a National Sample Cohort
So Young Kim, Chanyang Min, Dong Jun Oh, Hyo Geun Choi
SJR Q1The Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology In Practice
GastroenterologyMedicine
2
Article|122 citations·2019
Tobacco Smoking and Alcohol Consumption Are Related to Benign Parotid Tumor: A Nested Case-Control Study Using a National Health Screening Cohort
So Young Kim, Chanyang Min, Dong Jun Oh, Hyo Geun Choi
SJR Q1Clinical and Experimental OtorhinolaryngologyOA

Benign parotid tumor was related with smoking, and it was linked with alcohol consumption in women only.

SurgeryMedicine
3
Article|120 citations·2016
Dietary Habits Are Associated With School Performance in Adolescents
So Young Kim, Songyong Sim, Bumjung Park, Il Gyu Kong, Jin‐Hwan Kim, Hyo Geun Choi
SJR Q3MedicineOA

Several studies suggest that dietary habits are associated with poor academic performance. However, few studies have evaluated these relations after adjusting for numerous confounding factors. This study evaluated the frequency of various diet items (fruit, soft drinks, fast foods, instant noodles, confections, vegetables, and milk) and the regularity of meal times (breakfast, lunch, and dinner) all at once.A total of 359,264 participants aged from 12 to 18 years old were pooled from the Korea Y

Public Health, Environmental and Occupational HealthMedicine
4
Article|102 citations·2005
Curcumin is a potent broad spectrum inhibitor of matrix metalloproteinase gene expression in human astroglioma cells
So Young Kim, Soo-Hyun Jung, Hee-Sun Kim
SJR Q2Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications
Cancer ResearchBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology
5
Article|96 citations·2018
Hearing impairment and the risk of neurodegenerative dementia: A longitudinal follow-up study using a national sample cohort
So Young Kim, Jae‐Sung Lim, Il Gyu Kong, Hyo Geun Choi
SJR Q1Scientific ReportsOA

This study aimed to explore the risk of dementia in a middle- and older-aged population with severe or profound hearing impairments. Data were collected for the Korean National Health Insurance Service-National Sample Cohort from 2002 to 2013. Participants aged 40 or older were selected. The 4,432 severely hearing-impaired participants were matched 1:4 with 17,728 controls, and the 958 profoundly hearing-impaired participants were matched 1:4 with 3,832 controls who had not reported any hearing

Cognitive NeuroscienceNeuroscience
6
Article|96 citations·2020
Bell’s palsy and obesity, alcohol consumption and smoking: A nested case-control study using a national health screening cohort
So Young Kim, Dong Jun Oh, Bumjung Park, Hyo Geun Choi
SJR Q1Scientific ReportsOA

Abstract The aim of this study was to investigate the association of body mass index (BMI), alcohol consumption, and smoking status with the occurrence of Bell’s palsy. The Korean National Health Insurance Service-Health Screening Cohort of a ≥ 40-year-old population from 2000–2003 was used. A total of 5,632 Bell’s palsy participants were matched with 22,528 control participants in terms of age, sex, income, region of residence, and past medical histories of hypertension, diabetes, and dyslipide

NeurologyMedicine
7
Article|94 citations·2017
Active, passive, and electronic cigarette smoking is associated with asthma in adolescents
So Young Kim, Songyong Sim, Hyo Geun Choi
SJR Q1Scientific ReportsOA

The present study investigated the associations of active, passive, and electronic cigarette (E-cigarette) smoking with asthma in Korean adolescents. We used the cross-sectional study of Korea Youth Risk Behavior Web-based Survey conducted in 2011, 2012 and 2013. Active smoking was classified into 4 groups (0 days, 1-5 days, 6-19 days, and ≥20 days a month). Passive smoking was also categorized into 4 groups (0 days, 1-2 days, 3-4 days, and ≥5 days a week). E-cigarette was defined as yes or no i

PhysiologyMedicine
8
Article|88 citations·2017
The associations between internet use time and school performance among Korean adolescents differ according to the purpose of internet use
So Young Kim, Minsu Kim, Bumjung Park, Jin‐Hwan Kim, Hyo Geun Choi
SJR Q1PLoS ONEOA

Although overuse of the internet has been suggested to be related to poor academic performance, the effects of internet use for education on academic performance showed conflict results in previous studies. Accordingly, the associations of school performance with internet use for study and for general purpose were explored in a large population of Korean adolescents. Cross-sectional data from the 2013 Korean Youth Risk Behaviour Web-based Survey (KYRBWS) were retrieved for 59,105 12- to 18-year-

Sociology and Political ScienceSocial Sciences
9
Article|82 citations·2017
Severe hearing impairment and risk of depression: A national cohort study
So Young Kim, Hyung‐Jong Kim, Eun-Kyu Park, Jiwon Joe, Songyong Sim, Hyo Geun Choi
SJR Q1PLoS ONEOA

Severe hearing impairment increased the risk of depression independently of age, sex, region, past medical histories, and income (in low and high income persons but not in middle income persons).

Cognitive NeuroscienceNeuroscience
10
Article|82 citations·2020
Short- and long-term exposure to air pollution and lack of sunlight are associated with an increased risk of depression: A nested case-control study using meteorological data and national sample cohort data
So Young Kim, Minji Bang, Jee Hye Wee, Chanyang Min, Dae Myoung Yoo, Sang-Min Han, Seungdo Kim, Hyo Geun Choi
SJR Q1The Science of The Total Environment
Health, Toxicology and MutagenesisEnvironmental Science
11
Article|81 citations·2018
Bidirectional association between gastroesophageal reflux disease and depression: Two different nested case-control studies using a national sample cohort
So Young Kim, Hyung‐Jong Kim, Hyun Lim, Il Gyu Kong, Miyoung Kim, Hyo Geun Choi
SJR Q1Scientific ReportsOA

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the associations between gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) and depression using a national sample cohort of the Korean population. Data were collected from individuals ≥20 years old in the Korean National Health Insurance Service-National Sample Cohort between 2002 and 2013. We designed two different nested case-control studies. In study I, 60,957 participants with depression were matched at a 1:4 ratio with 243,828 controls, and their previous histo

GastroenterologyMedicine
12
Article|77 citations·2023
Arctic Ocean sediments as important current and future sinks for marine microplastics missing in the global microplastic budget
Seung‐Kyu Kim, Seung-Kyu Kim, Jisu Kim, So Young Kim, So Young Kim, Nan-Seon Song, Hyoung Sul La, Eun Jin Yang
SJR Q1Science AdvancesOA

To better understand unexpectedly low plastic loads at the ocean’s surface compared with inputs, unidentified sinks must be located. Here, we present the microplastic (MP) budget for multi-compartments in the western Arctic Ocean (WAO) and demonstrate that Arctic sediments serve as important current and future sinks for MPs missing from the global budget. We identified an increase of 3% year −1 in MP deposition from sediment core observations. Relatively elevated MP abundances were found in seaw

PollutionEnvironmental Science
13
Article|73 citations·2018
Lack of sleep is associated with internet use for leisure
So Young Kim, Min‐Su Kim, Bumjung Park, Jin‐Hwan Kim, Hyo Geun Choi
SJR Q1PLoS ONEOA

Less sleep was significantly related to long-term use of the internet for leisure, whereas this association was not definite for internet use for study. Furthermore, poor sleep quality potentiated the relationship between less sleep time and internet use for leisure.

DemographySocial Sciences
14
Article|69 citations·2017
Discrepancy between self-assessed hearing status and measured audiometric evaluation
So Young Kim, Hyung‐Jong Kim, Minsu Kim, Bumjung Park, Jin‐Hwan Kim, Hyo Geun Choi
SJR Q1PLoS ONEOA

Older age, lower education level, occupation, abnormal TM, non-hearing aid use, and tinnitus were related to both overestimation and underestimation groups. Male gender was related to underestimation, and stress and anxiety/depression were correlated with overestimation group. An understanding of these factors associated with the self-reported hearing loss will be instrumental to identifying and managing hearing-impaired individuals.

Cognitive NeuroscienceNeuroscience
15
Article|66 citations·2010
Economic Burden of Allergic Rhinitis in Korea
So Young Kim, Seok‐Jun Yoon, Min‐Woo Jo, Eun Jung Kim, Hyun‐Jin Kim, In‐Hwan Oh
SJR Q1American Journal of Rhinology and Allergy

BACKGROUND: Allergic rhinitis is one of most prevalent chronic diseases and results in relatively high medical expenses and economic burden; however, in Korea, studies on economic costs are limited. Therefore, this study investigated the health care use and socioeconomic costs of allergic rhinitis in Korea. METHODS: This study extracted the insurance claims records from the Korea National Health Insurance Corporation (NHIC) claims database for determining the health care services provided to pat

Immunology and AllergyMedicine

Research Areas

NeurologySensory SystemsPhysiologyOncologyInfectious DiseasesSurgery

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