[Asia Exclusive] Professor Jeong Jin-wook "Will Establish Political Neutrality Review Committee for Korean Economic Association"

New President of the Korean Economic Association's Motto
"Will Provide Many Opportunities for Individual Scholars to Express Their Thoughts"

Professor Jinwook Jeong of the Department of Economics at Yonsei University, who will serve as the next president of the Korean Economic Association, is being interviewed by Asia Economy Newspaper at his research office in Seodaemun-gu, Seoul. Photo by Dongju Yoon doso7@

[Asia Economy Reporter Eunbyeol Kim] Professor Jinwook Jung of Yonsei University's Department of Economics, who will assume the position of the 51st President of the Korean Economic Association through the regular general meeting and the joint academic conference on economics on the 4th, has set "political neutrality" as the motto of his presidency.

In a recent interview with Asia Economy, he stated, "I want to create a space where the excellent members of the association, that is, economists, can freely express their thoughts," adding, "However, we will make efforts to maintain political neutrality in materials and seminars officially released by the association."

He said, "I still believe that the channels for scholars to express their thoughts should be through papers or lectures rather than the media," but also noted, "As times have changed and many people obtain information through the internet or media, if scholars do not voice their opinions in these areas at all, there is a possibility of biased views, so I think they should speak up." He added, "I want to provide as many opportunities as possible for scholars to express their opinions."

The reason he emphasized "political neutrality" as the president this year is due to the presidential election scheduled for next year. He believes that maintaining political neutrality is most important to prevent the Economic Association from being caught up in unnecessary political controversies. To this end, he said, "We will establish a Political Neutrality Review Committee," explaining, "It will objectively assess whether this neutrality is maintained when official opinions are expressed through association seminars or research materials." As society increasingly escalates conflicts by accusing each other of being corrupt forces or communists, he does not want the association to be perceived as biased toward any particular tendency.

Born in Seoul in 1960, he graduated from Jangchung High School and Yonsei University's Department of Economics. After earning his Ph.D. in Economics from the University of Florida, he served as an assistant professor in the Department of Economics at Emory University, then at Ajou University’s Department of Economics, and is currently a professor at Yonsei University's Department of Economics. He is a leading expert in econometrics and industrial organization, has served as a founding member of the National Research Foundation of Korea and as president of the Korean Econometric Society, and will begin his duties as president of the Korean Economic Association starting from the 5th.

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