韩国央行-纪念世界银行成立75周年的讲话（英）

Speech Commemorating the Bank’s 75th Anniversary June 12, 2025 RHEE, Chang Yong Governor Bank of Korea I would like to thank Choongwon Park, Taesup Kim, and Byeongrok Lee for their help in preparing this speech. * This is an unofficial translation of the original speech released on June 12, 2025. 1/9 My dear colleagues at the Bank of Korea, Seventy-five years ago, the Bank of Korea took its first step with the mission of contributing to the sound development of the national economy through pursuing price stability. Since that day, we have faithfully fulfilled our responsibilities through every chapter of our nation’s history, bringing us to where we stand today. I would like to express my deepest respect to our predecessors who devoted themselves to setting and implementing monetary policy over the decades. I also extend my sincere gratitude to the members of the Monetary Policy Board, who continue to serve as a guiding compass for the Bank, and to all the staff who have diligently carried out their duties in their respective roles. Above all, I would like to extend my heartfelt appreciation to the families of our staff, whose steadfast support has been a constant source of strength. This year marks both the 75th anniversary of the Bank of Korea’s establishment and the 80th anniversary of national liberation. This is a special year, an opportunity to reflect on our history defined by overcoming numerous crises and achieving remarkable progress. More recently, over the past six months, a rapidly shifting global landscape and escalating political tensions have evoked a sense of crisis reminiscent of the turmoil that followed Korea’s liberation. Globally, geopolitical tensions have persisted due to the wars between Russia and Ukraine and between Israel and Hamas. At the same time, domestically, political instability that escalated following the declaration of martial law late last year has continued, deepening social conflict and division. It has been a period of confusion that can be summed up in one word: “uncertainty”. Amid these global and domestic shocks, Korea’s economic growth has slowed considerably, and self-employed and small business owners are facing significant difficulties in particular. Despite these challenges, there remains a silver lining. Although political uncertainty has brought high economic and social costs, the process of overcoming it has reaffirmed the strength and resilience of our democracy. Now, with a new administration in place on a foundation of a mature democracy, we look forward to strengthening social cohesion through unity and restoring economic vitality by prioritizing pragmatism. The Bank of Korea must also do its part to help the nation overcome these hardships by conducting monetary policy based on principle and conviction, and by faithfully fulfilling its responsibilities, including pursuing price stability, that are essential 2/9 to the future of the national economy and to the well-being