Between July 26 and 28, KEI hosted the ninth annual Opinion Leaders Seminar on U.S.-Korea relations, a thorough off-the-record discussion of the major issues relevant to this important relationship. The only on-the-record segment of OLS was the keynote luncheon presentation by Dr. John Lipsky, First Deputy Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund, entitled “The G-20 Agenda: Looking to Seoul.”

The text of the keynote address can be accessed below.

John Lipsky was appointed as the First Deputy Managing Director of the IMF on September 1, 2006. Before coming to the IMF, Mr. Lipsky was Vice Chairman of the JPMorgan Investment Bank. In this position, he advised the firm's principal market risk takers, published independent research on the principal forces shaping global financial markets, was actively engaged with JPMorgan's key clients, and represented the firm around the world with senior public and financial sector decision makers. Previously, Mr. Lipsky served as JPMorgan's Chief Economist, and as Chase Manhattan Bank's Chief Economist and Director of Research. He served as Chief Economist of Salomon Brothers, Inc. from 1992 until 1997. From 1989 to 1992, Mr. Lipsky was based in London, where he directed Salomon Brothers' European Economic and Market Analysis Group. Before joining Salomon Brothers in 1984, he spent a decade at the IMF, where he helped manage the Fund's exchange rate surveillance procedure and analyzed developments in international capital markets. He also participated in negotiations with several member countries and served as the Fund's Resident Representative in Chile during 1978–1980. In 2000, he chaired a Financial Sector Review Group, established by former Managing Director Horst Köhler, to provide the IMF with an independent perspective on the Fund's work on international financial markets. Mr. Lipsky's current professional activities include serving on the Board of Directors of the National Bureau of Economic Research. Prior to joining the IMF as First Deputy Managing Director, Mr. Lipsky served as a Director of several corporations and non-profit organizations. A graduate of Wesleyan University, Mr. Lipsky earned a bachelor’s degree in economics. Subsequently, he was awarded an M.A. and a Ph.D. in Economics from Stanford University.