Gardner-Webb’s Dr. Francis Kim Discusses U.S. Monetary Policy on Top National Television Network in South Korea

Associate Professor’s Facebook Posts About Economic News and Newspaper Columns Followed by Thousands

Dr. Francis Kim, associate professor of finance in the Godbold College of Business at Gardner-Webb University, was recently featured on SBS, one of the top three national television and radio networks in South Korea. Kim discussed financial-related topics of international interest and appears for about 15 minutes.

“They were asking me about U.S. monetary policy and the effects on the market,” Kim shared. “I discussed the Federal Reserve’s monetary policy, the recent stock market, and investment strategy.” he stated.

The video of the live stream is on YouTube, and Kim is shown at 14:59 in the clip available here.

This is not the first time that Kim has been interviewed on the news in South Korea. “Last year, I was on the primetime news—a very short clip about 10 seconds,” he related. “I also had an interview about the labor shortage in the United States.”

The reporters are friends or they get in touch with him through his friends in South Korea. Kim has nearly 6,000 followers on his Facebook page covering economic news and market trends. Additionally, he writes a monthly column and a weekly column that are published by separate newspapers. The weekly column is ranked No. 4 on the paper’s website.

In June 2021, Kim said he was criticized in his column and on his Facebook page for forecasting “sticky” inflation—meaning that it could be around for at least a year. A journalist at a top newspaper in South Korea contacted him and requested an interview regarding inflation, monetary, and fiscal policies. The article was published in two parts:

• [Diagnosis, inflation instability] Professor Kim Seong-jae of Gardner-Webb University in the US “Fears about expansionary finances such as household subsidies and fixed inflation.”

• Coin craze, stock price rise, real estate frenzy… It is said to be explained by ‘currency circulation speed (V).’

Kim has worked at Gardner-Webb since 2012. He applied at Gardner-Webb, because he and his wife liked the area. They had driven through North Carolina on their way to Maine, spending a night in Charlotte, N.C. He hadn’t heard from GWU and was getting ready to go back home to South Korea, when he got a call offering him a job. He decided to stay and has enjoyed the campus and community.

Shortly after he arrived, he was asked to become the advisor for the Student Investment Club. 

The club began in the late 1990s with an initial donation from BB&T (now Truist). In managing the fund, students meet regularly during the academic semesters to present research and decide allocation of resources. On occasion, the club also invites investment professionals from the local community to share their insights.

Kim received his Bachelor of Arts in economics from Seoul National University in South Korea. He was working as the chief secretary to the president and CEO of Korea Deposit Insurance Corporation, when he got an opportunity to come to America to obtain his master’s degree in applied economics and management at Cornell University. They agreed to pay for his education in exchange for him coming back to work. Instead of going back to Korea, he asked if he could stay in America and earn his Ph.D. in finance at Louisiana State University (LSU). He did not return back to the job but worked as a research assistant and instructor of finance at LSU.

At Gardner-Webb, he is also the coordinator of the Wealth and Trust Management Program. He has taught various classes on economics, money and banking, financial management, risk management, investments, intermediate corporate finance and graduate level courses in economics and finance.

Gardner-Webb University is North Carolina’s recognized leader in private, Christian higher education. A Carnegie-Classified Doctoral/Professional University, GWU is home to six professional schools, 14 academic departments, more than 80 undergraduate and graduate majors, and a world-class faculty. Located on a beautiful 225-acre campus in Boiling Springs, N.C., Gardner-Webb prepares graduates to impact their chosen professions, equips them with the skills to advance the frontiers of knowledge, and inspires them to make a positive and lasting difference in the lives of others. Ignite your future at Gardner-Webb.edu.