演講者簡介 : Professor Woo received his Ph.D. in Economics from Harvard University. He is currently a tenured economics professor at DePaul University, Chicago. His research fields are Macroeconomics, growth, fiscal policy, political economy, inequality, international finance, Korea, EM Asia.
演講摘要 : South Korea’s economic miracle is a well-known story. However, today Korea is facing challenges on multiple fronts that are radically different from those seen in the early stages of industrialization. The Korean economy has been struggling with a faltering growth momentum and the rise of unprecedented socio-economic problems over the recent years well before the pandemic crisis. Koreans are grappling with slow income growth, all time-high household debt, high youth unemployment, inequality, and social polarization. Politics is in disarray and is incapable of directing social discourse for the common good. Rapid population aging along with the world’s lowest fertility rates stokes fears of Japanification. Such a dramatic shift in the perceived prospects of the Korean economy in a relatively short period has caught many by surprise and is little known to outsiders who are only familiar with Korea’s economic miracle and spectacular success stories of business conglomerates like such as Hyundai, LG, and Samsung. Motivated by these latest developments, this new book seeks to provide a timely and in-depth analysis of key current issues and foreseeable challenges of the economy in hopes of finding constructive ways forward.