The Globe interviewed Professor Dong-chul CHO, a senior research fellow and chair of the macroeconomics division of the Korea Development Institute (KDI), who recently joined the KDI School. Before joining the KDI School, he served as a senior counselor to the Deputy Prime Minister and acted as head of the Macro Policy Advisory Team of the Ministry of Finance and Economy. From 1991 to 1995, he taught as an Assistant Professor at Texas A & M University. Professor CHO has an extensive research background in macroeconomics, international finance and economic growth. He received a Ph.D. in Economics from the University of Wisconsin, Madison, in 1991.

Thank you so much for taking some time out of your busy schedule for this interview. What courses do you teach at the KDI School?

The pleasure is mine (smile). Well, this spring term I am teaching a graduate course on Quantitative Methods (section4). I will be teaching courses on Macroeconomic Policy this summer and courses on International Finance in the fall.

Earlier in your career you were an Assistant Professor of Texas A&M University and a researcher at the KDI, and now you are a Professor of the KDI School. Why did you decide to go back to the academic world?

Well, education and research are equally important for an academic. You cannot give students a good education without good academic research. Since I have been involved in “policy” research at the KDI for more than ten years, I think it is the right time to start teaching and doing pure “academic” research again and the KDI School gives me an excellent combination of research and teaching.

Being an academic and an eminent researcher, what would you say is the biggest distinction between these two roles?

I see little difference between the roles and requirements of an academic and a researcher. I think there are more similarities than differences. As an academic, you manage students, share experiences and try to advance knowledge. As a researcher, you apply knowledge and find the most appropriate solution to a problem. At the end of the day, whether you are an academic or a researcher, you always try to provide an environment that is conducive to learning.

Professor CHO, you’ve played a major role in many things, in some cases simultaneously, like in graduate student education, research and counseling. How do you achieve the balance from the myriad of demands? Which of these areas pose the greatest challenge?

A professor is expected to teach, conduct research, and in some cases, take up academic or administrative leadership position. As I mentioned earlier, education and research are inseparable. You cannot give students a good education without good research. At times, it is the students who probe you into further thinking. Research can comprise a wide variety of work from research work where you plan and conduct the research to leadership positions where you manage the division.

The essence of time management is to balance all of these components and deliver quality work. To achieve this, one needs to have the passion and commitment and when you enjoy doing these, you will find the time to do all of them.

Each role has its own challenge. Since I’ve been involved in research for so many years, the challenge in research and counseling is minimal. The main challenge is in student education. For example, in student education, you need to interest and challenge the students. The KDI School is not a place where the student will be told what to do but a place to discover new knowledge. The challenge is to change the mindset of the students into an inquisitive, self learning mind and the desire to learn.

Now, let’s move to your personal life. Many of us know you on the "official level” as our new "Professor". Is there anything about yourself that you could share with us, for instance, your likes or dislikes in food, sports, hobbies?

Likes and dislikes of food? Hmm… I like eating food with many different varieties. Most of my likes are Chinese, Italian and Vietnamese food. I like Italian pasta and Vietnamese salad rolls. They are delicious. When you reach my age, you then tend to be more careful in choosing food, and you start to eat anything that is healthy.

Sports? I used to play a lot of team sports in high school. My favorite sport is soccer and I really like playing soccer with my son and I always beat him at soccer (laugh). Also, I enjoy playing tennis, but my tennis skill has declined over the years. Other than that, I play golf to make sure that I have enough exercise.

Hobbies? I enjoy singing Karaoke (laugh). I was a good singer when I was in high school. I remember how I met my wife. When I was singing for a school event one day, my wife came up to the stage and gave me a bouquet of flowers. That was how we met, and ten years later we got married.

Thank you once again for sharing about your personal life. Last, but not least, any words for KDI students?

When I started my post-grad in America, I planned to take many subjects in every term so that I could finish my Ph.D. thesis early. But my supervisor had advised that I should not do that. Instead, he said I should travel around the States, practice speaking English, and especially learn about American culture. It was a valuable piece of advice and I would like to convey this message to all KDI students.

By Sophaseila SAKETT (2007 MBA)