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Lessons from the 1997 and the 2008 Crises in Korea
Author(s) -
LEE Hangyong,
RHEE Changyong
Publication year - 2012
Publication title -
asian economic policy review
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.58
H-Index - 20
eISSN - 1748-3131
pISSN - 1832-8105
DOI - 10.1111/j.1748-3131.2012.01215.x
Subject(s) - depreciation (economics) , financial crisis , economics , exchange rate , market liquidity , government (linguistics) , capital flows , economic policy , international economics , finance , market economy , macroeconomics , human capital , financial capital , capital formation , linguistics , philosophy , liberalization
The Korean economy was hit harder than anticipated by the global financial crisis. In the first phase, large capital outflows led to a severe liquidity strain in the foreign exchange market, resulting in a rapid depreciation of the exchange rate. Then, in the second phase, the contraction of global demand led to a collapse of exports and a sharp decline in economic activity, raising concerns about a full‐fledged financial crisis in Korea. This paper describes how the global financial crisis spilled over into the Korean economy and how the Korean government responded to the financial turmoil. It also provides the background and rationale for the Korean government's decisions to adopt specific policy measures. Based on Korean experiences during the 1997 and the 2008 crises, this paper documents the lessons learned from the past two crises and identifies several important policy issues.