Event Summary
The Peterson Institute for International Economics hosted the first public speech by Changyong Rhee, the new director of the Asia and Pacific Department of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), on May 9, 2014. Rhee presented the IMF's Spring Asia and Pacific Regional Economic Outlook. In addition to assessing the regional outlook and risks, the report examines the themes of corporate and household debt vulnerabilities in Asia, regional integration and its effects on business cycle synchronization, and the experience with macroprudential policies and capital flows in the region. Following his presentation will be a discussion with leading independent Asia experts, including Marcus Noland, director of studies at the Peterson Institute, and Alan Larson from Covington & Burling.
Changyong Rhee assumed his current position as director of the Asia and Pacific Department of the IMF in February 2014. Prior to coming to the Fund, 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. He also served as the secretary-general of the G-20 summit's Presidential Committee in the Republic of Korea. Previously, Rhee was a professor of economics at Seoul National University and assistant professor at the 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, and the Korea Development Institute. Rhee obtained his PhD in economics from Harvard University, and his bachelor's degree in economics from Seoul National University.
Event Materials
Regional Economic Outlook: Asia and Pacific: Sustaining the Momentum: Vigilance and Reforms
April 2014
Presentation [pdf]