On May 10, 2023, KEI held a special hybrid rollout event for the inaugural volume of its new flagship journal, Korea Policy. Event description below: “Like our previous publications, Korea Policy…
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Email Randall S. Jones
About Randall S. Jones
Dr. Randall Jones is a non-resident distinguished fellow at the Korea Economic Institute and a Professional Fellow at Columbia University’s Center on Japanese Economy and Business. Previously, he served as the Senior Counsellor for East Asia and as Head of the Japan/Korea Desk at the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) in Paris from 2002 until August 2019. During his 30 years at the OECD, Dr. Jones wrote all 16 OECD Economic Surveys of Korea and 15 OECD Economic Surveys of Japan, in addition to a number of other publications. In recognition for his work on Japan and Korea, Dr. Jones received the Decoration of the Order of the Rising Sun from the Government of Japan and the Sungnye Medal of the Order of Diplomatic Service Merit from the Government of Korea in 2018. Before joining the OECD in 1989, he spent three years in the U.S. government, serving at the Council of Economic Advisers and as an advisor in the State Department. Dr. Jones was also the vice-president of the Japan Economic Institute in Washington. Dr. Jones received a B.A. in Economics from Brigham Young University and a PhD in Economics from the University of Michigan in 1984. He lived in Korea from 1974 to 1976.
May 18, 2023
The South Korean economy has recovered from negative growth in the first quarter of 2025 that was triggered by a political crisis. Improved consumer confidence and rising real wages are supporting private consumption. Fiscal expansion, led by two supplementary budgets in 2025 and monetary policy easing, have underpinned the rebound. While Korea’s export growth in…
January 21, 2026
South Korea’s fiscal position remains stronger than most advanced economies, but the foundation beneath that stability faces significant challenges. Years of disciplined budgeting kept public debt low and enabled the government to maintain steady surpluses throughout the 2010s, even as social spending expanded. Korea now faces a more challenging outlook, shaped by rapid population aging,…
December 11, 2025
South Korea’s manufacturing prowess has propelled it to the ranks of the world’s largest exporters, but a global merchandise export slowdown and surging trade protectionism dim its outlook. While trade in services has accelerated, Korea’s share of global trade in services is relatively low and has fallen in recent years. Enhancing service exports has great…
October 9, 2025
The North Korean economy grew 3.7 percent in 2024 (Figure 1), its fastest pace since 2016, according to estimates by South Korea’s central bank announced at the end of August. North Korea’s second straight year of positive growth propelled its GDP to its highest level since 2017, reversing the declines driven in part by international…
September 12, 2025
Korea is pursuing a bold strategy in an effort to achieve a paradigm shift that results in a fair economy. Some of its major initiatives – notably sharp increases in…
July 30, 2019
The tax burden in Korea—at 26 percent of gross domestic product (GDP) —was well below the average of the member countries of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD)…
May 25, 2011
Korea is in the midst of the most rapid demographic transition of any member country of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD); the share of Korea’s population older…
May 25, 2011
September 23, 2022
The conversation will be livestreamed on YouTube.