"Bedbug Princess Who Became a Hero"… WSJ Highlights Seoul National University Professor Kim Juhyun

Finding Bedbug Insecticide by Sucking Blood Directly
WSJ "Matriarch of Bloodsucking Insects... Planning Eradication Operation"

Professor Kim Juhyun of the Department of Tropical Medicine at Seoul National University College of Medicine, who has devoted himself to research even by allowing himself to be bitten by bedbugs, has received focused attention from foreign media. Professor Kim is recognized for discovering an alternative insecticide to eradicate bedbugs resistant to conventional insecticides.

The U.S. Wall Street Journal (WSJ) published an article titled "The Matriarch of Bloodsucking Insects Designs the Nation's Bedbug Eradication Operation" on the 27th (local time) in its online edition. The article highlighted Professor Kim's research achievements in developing insecticides to combat bedbugs.

Professor Kim Juhyun, Department of Tropical Medicine, Seoul National University College of Medicine [Image source: Seoul National University College of Medicine website]

Earlier, in a 2020 paper, Professor Kim revealed that domestic bedbugs have developed resistance to pyrethroid-based insecticides. Subsequently, he identified alternative insecticidal compounds capable of eradicating bedbugs resistant to pyrethroid insecticides. This research was published in the Journal of Medical Entomology.

Additionally, Professor Kim is conducting further research commissioned by the Ministry of Environment to find the most effective insecticide for bedbug control in Korea. Interest in Professor Kim has grown domestically following the so-called "bedbug crisis" that began in Europe, including France, and spread to Korea.

The WSJ explained, "(Professor Kim's) parents initially worried about their daughter's career choice, but now she has become a national hero." The article also shared an anecdote about Professor John Marshall Clark of the University of Massachusetts Amherst, who supervised Kim's postdoctoral research and nicknamed her the "bedbug princess."

Notably, Professor Kim reportedly even drew blood herself to feed the bedbugs she raised in the laboratory. Usually, blood not suitable for use by the Red Cross is donated to feed the insects, but there were times when supplies were insufficient.

Professor Kim told the media, "My interest lies in how to best eradicate insects that harm humans."