Byung-Yeon Kim is Professor in the Department of Economics at Seoul National University (SNU). His research interests lie in the fields of transition economics and applied econometrics, in particular with reference to North Korea as well as former socialist countries. He received his B.A. and M.A. from SNU and his D.Phil. from the University of Oxford. He published a number of articles in international journals such as the Journal of Comparative Economics, Journal of Economic History and the British Journal of Political Science. His new book on the North Korean economy was recently published by Cambridge University Press (Unveiling the North Korean Economy, 2017). He has written numerous book chapters, books, and journal articles on the North Korean economy. He has received several prestigious academic awards such as Excellence in Academic Achievements granted by the National Academy of Sciences, SNU Award for Distinguished Researcher, T. S. Ashton Prize (Economic History Society), and Chungram Award (Korean Economic Association). He has served as a member of various government committees including the National Economic Advisory Council, the Presidential Committee for Unification Preparation and the Advisory Committee for the Korean Summit, and is the Policy Advisory Committee for the Ministries of Unification and Foreign Affairs. He is a regular columnist for Joongangilbo mostly on North Korean issues.