Sungjae “Francis” Kim, School of Business Accounting.
In Furman University circles, Frances Kim is known as one of the newest members of the School of Business Accounting. In South Korea, Sungjae “Frances” Kim is a regular columnist for the online newspaper Women Economy, the country's second-largest economic newspaper Money Today, and Korea's historic newspaper JoongAng (The Center). It is widely known as.
Kim is an associate professor of finance and has lived in the United States for nearly 20 years. He joined the faculty in the fall of 2023 after spending his 11-year career at nearby Gardner-Webb University. At Furman, he teaches corporate finance and international finance, and will also teach financial markets, investing, and risk management. He also serves as a faculty advisor to the Furman Investment Club.
Kim's op-ed published in the JoongAng Newspaper (officially known as JoongAng Ilbo) examined the US Federal Reserve and the technology bubble. In another column, I considered past investment bubbles. Kim began writing a biweekly column in December 2023 at the invitation of a friend on the editorial board of JoongAng Ilbo. My friend was inspired by Kim's book, “The Fed Signal: How Does a Fed Flutter Become a Typhoon in Seoul?” The book was praised as a must-read by Korea's largest bookstore chain, Kyobo.
Kim has been writing for Woman Economy since 2021 and writes a monthly column for Money Today, also starting in 2021.
He said his column became popular because it predicted significant inflation and “aggressive” interest rate hikes by the Federal Reserve. Kim is a trusted source for commentary on all things finance, from monetary policy to the Dutch tulip mania, the UK South Sea Company stock bubble, and the modern dot-com and AI stock bubbles. He also provides economic, social and political commentary on online and broadcast media.
Kim returns to South Korea every few years to visit family and enjoy the local cuisine and culture. He said that just like in the United States, South Korea is experiencing a housing bubble, but the size and duration of the bubble is longer. “South Koreans have been suffering from a severe housing bubble for decades,” he said, citing overinvestment in real estate, high interest rates and declining consumer purchasing power.
Kim said South Korea's focus on education has created a competitive society, leading to high levels of expertise and productivity, especially in public services such as transportation. He said the country's competitiveness bodes well for high-tech companies such as Samsung and Hyundai, as well as disparate industries such as K-drama and K-pop.
Meanwhile, Kim is settling in well at Furman University, noting the strong support of the university's faculty. “I enjoy teaching here and love the culture and atmosphere of Furman,” he said.
