Changyong Rhee, Director of the IMF’s Asia and Pacific Department, and Alexander “Sandy” Wolfson, Managing Director and Head of Global Country Risk Management at Citi, discuss key economic challenges and assess global risks facing Asia and Korea in the years ahead. Rhee and Wolfson offer an overview of the short-term outlook and risks facing the region and address implications of low growth or a "new mediocre" for the region, in discussion with President Tom Byrne.
Forecasting for 2017:
Key Economic Challenges for Korea and Asia
with
Changyong Rhee
Director of the IMF’s Asia and Pacific Department
Alexander “Sandy” Wolfson
Managing Director and Head of Global Country Risk Management at Citi
Moderated by Thomas Byrne, President of The Korea Society
Tickets: $15 for Members and Students with a valid I.D., $25 for Guests
12:00 PM | Arrivals & Reception
12:30 PM | Discussion
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If you have any questions, please contact Nikita Desai or (212) 759-7525, ext. 355.
About the Speakers
Changyong Rhee assumed his current position as Director of the Asia and Pacific Department of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in February 2014. Prior to coming to the Fund Dr. Rhee was chief economist at the Asian Development Bank (ADB). He was the chief spokesperson for ADB on economic and development trends, and oversaw the Economics and Research Department. Dr. Rhee was the secretary-general of the G20 summit’s Presidential Committee in the Republic of Korea. Prior to his appointment at the FSC, Dr. Rhee was a Professor of Economics at Seoul National University and Assistant Professor at University of Rochester. He was also a frequent and active policy advisor to the Government of Korea, including in the Office of the President, the Ministry of Finance and Economy, the Bank of Korea, the Korea Securities Depository, and the Korea Development Institute. His key research interests include macroeconomics, financial economics, and the Korean economy. He has published many papers in these fields. Dr. Rhee obtained his Ph.D. in Economics from Harvard University, and his Bachelor degree in Economics from Seoul National University.
Alexander “Sandy” Wolfson is a Managing Director and Head of Global Country Risk Management at Citigroup. In that capacity, he is responsible for assessing and managing country risk across Citi's global franchises, setting limits on country risk exposures, and running the Country Risk Committee which reviews Citi's largest country franchises. In addition, he advises senior management on global risk issues. Prior to joining Citigroup, he worked as an economist at the International Monetary Fund (1999-2005), working primarily on Indonesia and Japan. Sandy holds a Ph.D. in economics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Thomas J. Byrne (Moderator) joined The Korea Society as its President in August of 2015. He came to the Society from Moody's Investor Services, where he was Regional Manager, Spokesperson, and Director of Analysis for the Sovereign Risk Group in the Asia-Pacific and Middle East regions. Before moving to Moody's in 1996, he was the Senior Economist of the Asia Department at the Institute of International Finance in Washington DC. Mr. Byrne has an MA degree in International Relations with an emphasis on economics from The Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies. Before his graduate work, he served in South Korea for three years as a US Peace Corps volunteer.