Chang Ha-joon joins AIIB's International Advisory Panel

Professor Chang Ha-joon / Korea Times file

By Anna J. Park

University of Cambridge professor Chang Ha-joon, 58, was one of six new members appointed to the International Advisory Panel (IAP) of the Asia Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB).

This is the first time that a Korean national with a private sector background has been appointed to the panel, according to Korea's finance ministry. Previously, former Finance Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Hyun Oh-seok served on the panel for two years from September 2016.

The IAP is composed of world-leading experts from the economic, financial and international relations sectors, and currently consists of 12 members, including Chang. The panel's mission is to support the bank's senior management with strategic advice on future policies and general operational issues. Members have a two-year term renewable upon completion.

Graduating from the economics department of Seoul National University in 1986, Chang earned his master's degree and doctorate in economics at the University of Cambridge, where he began to teach in 1990 as a p0rofessor.

He won the Gunnar Myrdal Prize in 2003 and the Wassily Leontief Prize in 2005.

He also authored global best-selling books, including “Kicking Away the Ladder,” “Bad Samaritans” and “23 Things They Don't Tell You About Capitalism and Economics.” His books have sold over 2 million copies.

The AIIB is a multilateral development bank aiming to finance sustainable infrastructure development in the Asian region, with 103 approved members worldwide.