Choi Byung-ho, Pusan National University professor, named third head of Busan International Finance Promotion Agency

[Financial News] The Busan International Finance Promotion Agency announced on the 26th that it had appointed Choi Byung-ho, a professor in Pusan National University’s Department of Economics (pictured), as its third head at a general meeting of members on the 23rd.
The new head, Choi, was born in 1962, graduated from Pusan National University’s Department of Economics and earned a PhD in economics from Texas A&M University.
While serving as a professor in Pusan National University’s Department of Economics, he continued to conduct practical research grounded in real-world issues, including regional economies, local government finance and intergovernmental fiscal relations. For more than 30 years, he has produced around 100 academic papers published in Korea and abroad, around 100 academic and policy reports, and some 150 presentations at academic conferences in Korea and overseas.
He served as president of the Korean Association of Public Finance (KAPF), one of Korea’s leading economics associations, and is regarded nationwide as a prominent scholar and administrator who has built policy experience through service on various committees for the government, the National Assembly, local governments and research institutes.
The new head, Choi, said he hoped to bring the perspective he had developed as a regional-economy researcher to financial-center policy.
He said, “For the regional economy to grow, it is not enough simply to bring financial institutions to Busan. Growth in the financial industry must lead, through a smooth supply of funds, to increased corporate investment, the growth of new industries and job creation.” He added, “To that end, I will identify the financial industries Busan needs and the financial institutions it should seek to attract, and empirically analyze how growth in the financial industry affects regional production, investment and employment, incorporating the findings into policy and strategy.”
The Busan International Finance Promotion Agency is an incorporated association established in 2020 as a public-private partnership to develop Busan into an international financial center. Nine finance-related institutions based in the region participate as member institutions, including Busan City, Korea Exchange (KRX), KSD, Korea Asset Management Corporation, Korea Housing Finance Corporation (HF), Korea Ocean Business Corporation (KOBC), Busan Bank, Korea Technology Finance Corporation (KOTEC) and Koscom Corporation.
[email protected] Kwon Byeong-seok Reporter