MANILA, June 8 (Xinhua) -- The Asian Development Bank (ADB) on Monday said it has appointed Dr. Jong-Wha Lee as Chief Economist.

    Dr. Lee, a national of the Republic of Korea, is currently the Head of ADB's Office of Regional Economic Integration. He has served as Acting Chief Economist in ADB's Economics and Research Department (ERD) since October 2008, the ADB said in a press release.

    As Chief Economist, Dr. Lee will be chief spokesperson for the ADB on economic forecasts and trends, the multilateral lender said.

    Dr. Lee obtained his Ph.D. and Master's degree in Economics from Harvard University, and his Master's and Bachelor degrees in Economics from Korea University in Seoul.

    The ADB said Dr. Lee has over 20 years of professional experience as an economist and an academic and had worked at the International Monetary Fund and taught at Harvard University as a Visiting Professor.

    Prior to joining the ADB in 2007, Dr. Lee was the Director of the International Center for Korean Studies and a Professor of Economics at Korea University, it added.

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