Shin Hyun-song, the nominee for Bank of Korea (BOK) governor, on Saturday drew a clear line against the "hawk versus dove" debate over his monetary policy stance while declining to offer a clear signal on the direction of interest rates.
"Dividing things into a dichotomy of hawk or dove is not desirable," Shin said in a doorstep interview on his way to work, responding to recent characterizations of him as a "pragmatic hawk."
"What matters is fully grasping the interactions among overall economic trends, the financial system and the real economy, and then responding flexibly according to the situation," he added.
On the direction of interest rates, Shin maintained a cautious posture. "There is significant uncertainty over how the situation in the Middle East will unfold and how long it will last," he said. "We need to wait and see."
He also noted that "monetary policies among central banks are interconnected, so we must also watch policy trends in major economies."
