The Longest-Serving Governor of the Bank of Korea, Juyeol Lee

Juyeol Lee graduated from Yonsei University with a degree in Business Administration and earned his Master’s degree in Economics from Pennsylvania State University. After joining the Bank of Korea (BOK) in 1977, he held key positions including Director General of the Research Department, Director General of the Policy Planning Department, and Deputy Governor (in charge of monetary and credit policy), before retiring as Senior Deputy Governor in 2012.

Following his retirement, he served as a specially appointed professor at the Yonsei University Graduate School of Economics. In April 2014, he was inaugurated as the 25th Governor of the Bank of Korea. In March 2018, he was nominated for a second term by President Moon Jae-in, becoming the first governor in 44 years to be reappointed. He began his new term in April 2018 and served until his retirement in March 2022, making him the longest-serving governor in the history of the Bank of Korea.

In 2018, he became the first BOK Governor to be appointed as a Director of the Board of the Bank for International Settlements (BIS). He possesses profound insight into macroeconomics and financial markets and is regarded as the nation’s top expert in monetary and credit policy. During his tenure, he was highly praised for strengthening South Korea's "foreign exchange seawall" by securing currency swap agreements with various countries amidst high volatility in international financial markets.