Seoul National University

President Sung and President Galimkair Mutanov

Event: Capitalism and Capitalisms in Asia: Origin, Commonality, and Diversity
Date: October 22 (Thu), 2015
Venue: Youngwon Hall, Asia Center

Distinguished scholars, guests, and ladies and gentlemen, good morning!

It is my great pleasure to welcome all of you to the “Capitalism and Capitalisms in Asia” Conference at the Seoul National University Asia Center. I want to thank Director Myungkoo Kang of Asia Center and President Hyun-Chin Lim of Korea Social Science Research Council (KOSSREC) for organizing this timely conference on behalf of all community members of the Seoul National University.

Asia Center is a young research institute in my university. Yet, it has already been recognized as one of the most important assets of the university. Since its establishment in 2009, the Center has made tremendous achievements. It is stimulating research community in and out of the university. I also would like to mention that KOSSREC has been a catalyst to enhancing interdisciplinary work in social science in Korea, and I imagine that they will continue to take on that role here at this conference. Thank you again for hosting this important conference at Seoul National University today.

I understand that this conference is organized around critical questions for deepening our understanding on the Asian economy. As we all know, Asia is a very vibrant and dynamic region. Increasing new acronyms like AIIB (Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank), RCEP (Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership), TPP (Trans-Pacific Partnership), and others reflect these active changes. However, the Asian economy is composed of various forms of capitalisms, and so we need further investigation for better understanding of the Asian economy. In this sense, I think this conference is very timely. Many people say that the continuing growth of the economy of Asia is crucial for the future of the world economy. Furthermore, for the sustainability and peace-making of the world, cooperation within Asia and between Asia and other parts of the world are essential.

I presume that this is the rationale that brings us here together to assess the current status of capitalism in Asia and to discuss the future of it. I know that a single conference cannot answer all the questions we have; therefore, I wish all participants that the next two days be a trigger to develop strong and sustained networks for continuing collaboration. I believe this meeting will provide an extraordinary opportunity to exchange and share knowledge that will help deepen our understanding on the Asian economy. I expect this meeting will lead to a stream of ideas to shed new lights on great challenges Asia and the world are facing now. Lastly, I wish all of you that this meeting will be an opportunity to have a pleasant experience of Korea’s charm and taste. I hear that Asia Center has made great preparations for this.

Once again, my congratulations go to Asia Center and KOSSREC for hosting this important event and hope all of you have a chance to learn more about Korea and return home with good memories.

Thank you.