His research interests include nomadic societies of Central Asia and their interaction with the Chinese state.
Kim Hodong studied with Min Tuki in Seoul, and did his doctoral graduate work at Harvard University, where he was a student of Joseph Fletcher, Jr. Omeljan Pritsak, Philip A. Kuhn, and Thomas Barfield were on his dissertation committee as well.
Kim's best known work is his 2004 book, "Holy War in China: The Muslim Rebellion and State in Chinese Central Asia, 1864-1877", which had developed from his Harvard doctoral dissertation.
This book offers a comprehensive treatment of the rebellion of Xinjiang Muslims (Hui, Uyghurs, and other smaller groups) against the Qing Empire in the 1864–1877, and the career of the Kokandian adventurer Yaqub Beg who had managed to become the ruler of a large part of the region.
"Holy War in China" makes good use of the Chinese sources as well, as well as documents from the Russians, British, and Osmanlis who had come into contact with the rebels.