Kang Sung-jin to lead Korean Economic Association for 2026

Kang Sung-jin, an economics professor at Korea University / Courtesy of the Korean Economic Association

The Korean Economic Association said Wednesday that Kang Sung-jin, an economics professor at Korea University, has been elected president for 2026.

The association conducted voting for its next president from May 12 to June 4. Kang was confirmed during the board meeting held to count votes on Wednesday. He will serve as senior vice president this year and will officially take office at the association’s general meeting in February 2026.

Kang earned his undergraduate degree in economics from Korea University and a Ph.D. in economics from Stanford University in the U.S. He has previously served as president of the Association of Korean Economic Studies and the Korea International Economic Association.

In a recent phone interview with The Korea Times, Kang promised to address Korea’s pressing economic problems through an interdisciplinary approach.

"Economic issues today can’t be solved by economic variables alone. Take low birthrates and an aging population, for example, or environmental challenges and even infectious diseases. These all go beyond the traditional scope of economics," Kang said.

"That’s why the Korean Economic Association is aiming to collaborate more actively with other academic societies and play a more impactful role in shaping real-world outcomes," he added.

Kang also said that in the short term, Korea urgently needs to strengthen the social safety net to support low-income groups and self-employed individuals, who are currently seeing high default rates.

"At the same time, we must also focus on revitalizing market-driven growth engines. So in the long run, we should invest in developing new growth drivers, such as artificial intelligence and semiconductors."