ABOUT ME

I am an Assistant Professor of Statistics at Sookmyung Women's University and an Adjunct Professor of Quantitative Applied Economics at Sungkyunkwan University. Before joining SMU, I served as a Senior Economist in the Office of Economic Modeling and Policy Analysis at the Bank of Korea for 14 years. I completed my Ph.D. in Statistics at Pennsylvania State University, focusing on interpretable statistical learning, advised by Dr. Jia Li, and hold a B.A. in Economics and Statistics from Korea University.

Education

• Ph.D. Statistics, Pennsylvania State University, 2016 - 2021
• B.A. Economics and Statistics, Korea University, 2005 - 2011

Research Interests

My research interests span a range of topics, including:

• XAI, interpretable neural networks and machine learning,
• Big data analytics for social science, economics, and business,
• Text-related statistical modeling, high-dimensional data mining, non-parametric methods.

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

• 숙명여자대학교 조교수, 2024 - 현재
  [Assistant Professor, Sookmyung Women's University of Statistics]


• 성균관대학교 퀀트응용경제학과 초빙교수, 2023 - 현재
  [Adjunct Professor, Sungkyunkwan University of Quantitative Applied Economics]


• 한국은행 시니어 이코노미스트 (조사국, 경제모형실, 경제통계국, 금융시장국), 2011 - 2024
  [Senior Economist, Bank of Korea (BOK)]


• 한국은행 경제모형실 자문위원, 2025
  [Committeer of the Office of Economic Modeling and Policy Analysis, Bank of Korea (BOK)]


• 한국개발연구원 실시간경제진단 자문위원, 2024
  [Committeer of the Real-Time Economic Diagnosis, Korea Development Institute (KDI)]


• 소상공인진흥공단 소상공인체감경기지수 자문위원, 2024
  [Committeer of the Small Business Market Business Survey Index(BSI), Small Enterprise & Market Service (SEMAS)]


• 한국증권금융 채용출제위원, 2024
  [Committeer of the Recruitment Exam, Korea Securities Finance Corp. (KSFC)]


• 한국은행 채용출제위원, 2021
  [Committeer of the Recruitment Exam, Bank of Korea (BOK)]

PROJECTS & PATENTS

• 정책변화와 시장심리를 고려한 가계대출 및 주택시장 예측, 2025, 한국은행
  [Forecasting Household Debt and the Housing Market with Policy Changes and Market Sentiment, 2025, Bank of Korea (BOK)]


• 회계분식위험 선정기준에 대한 연구, 2025, 한국공인회계사회
  [Study on the Criteria for Detecting Accounting Fraud Risk, 2025, Korean Institute of Certified Public Accountants (KICPA)]


• AI 기반 공간 맞춤형 미술작품 추천 및 설치 연계형 오픈 아트 플랫폼 개발, 2025
  [Development of an AI-Based Open Art Platform for Space-Customized Artwork Recommendation and Installation Integration, 2025]


• 빅데이터를 이용한 환율 변동성 예측, 2025, 국회예산정책처
  [Forecasting Exchange Rate Volatility Using Big Data, 2025, National Assembly Budget Office (NABO)]


• 뱅크런 징후의 조기 포착을 위한 경보체계 구축, 2024, 예금보험공사
  [Early Warning System Construction for Detecting a Bank Run, 2024, Korean Deposit Insurance Corporation (KDIC)]


• 비정형 금융경제 데이터의 정량화에 대한 연구, 2022, 한국은행
  [Using Noise Filtering and Sufficient Dimension Reduction Method on Unstructured Economic Data, 2022, Bank of Korea (BOK)]


• 빅데이터를 이용한 실시간 민간소비 추정, 2021, 한국은행
  [Real-Time Private Consumption Prediction Using Big Data, 2021, Bank of Korea (BOK)]


• [특허] 뉴스 텍스트 기반 경제지표 작성장치, 텍스트 지표를 이용한 경기 예측 방법 및 시스템
  [(Published Pattent) News Text-based Economic Indicator Calculation Device, Economy Prediction Method and System Using Text Indicators], (10-2022-0059258)


• [특허] 동기화된 설명 강화 신경망의 학습 및 추론 방법 및 장치
  [(Published Pattent) Learning and Inference Method and Device of Synced Explanation-Enhanced Neural Network], (10-2025-0121763)

PUBLICATIONS

* Corresponding author

Peer-reviewed Journal Articles

( International Journals : SCIE/SSCI )

• Chang, Y-L., Seo, B.* (2026). Using Explainable Artificial Intelligence to Envision the Future of Work and the Workforce – From Prediction to Explanation. Technology in Society. 84.
  ^{[SSCI, Top 0.5% Social Science, IF 12.5]}


• Yoo, J., Seo, B.*, & J, An. (2025). Who Pays When Zombie Firms Persist? Asymmetric Debt Conditions by Credit Rating. . Finance Research Letters, 108616.
  ^{[SSCI, Top 4.8% Finance]}


• Yoo, J. & Seo, B.* (2025). Deposit Competition and Depository Institution Risk: Do Interest Margins Matter? Emerging Markets Finance and Trade. 1-21.
  ^{[SSCI, Q1 Economics]}


• Seo, B.* (2025). Econometric Forecasting Using Ubiquitous News Text: Text-enhanced Factor Model. International Journal of Forecasting, 41(3), 1055-1072.
  ^{[SSCI, Top 3.1% Economics]}


• Seo, B.*, & Li, J. (2024). Explainable machine learning by SEE-Net: closing the gap between interpretable models and DNNs. Scientific Reports, 14, 26302.
  ^{[SCIE, Q1 Multidisciplinary][pdf][code]}


• Seo, B.*, Lee, Y., & Cho, H. (2024). Measuring News Sentiment of Korea Using Transformer. Korean Economic Review, 40(1), 149-176.
  ^{[SSCI, Economics][pdf]}


• Seo, B.*, Lin, L., & Li, J. (2022). Mixture of Linear Models Co-supervised by Deep Neural Networks. Journal of Computational and Graphical Statistics, 31(4), 1303-1317.
  ^{[SCIE, Q1 Statistics][arXiv][code]}


• Seo, B.*, Lin, L., & Li, J. (2021). Block-wise Variable Selection for Clustering via Latent States of Mixture Models. Journal of Computational and Graphical Statistics, 31(1), 138-150.
  ^{[SCIE, Q1 Statistics][code]}


• Li, J., Seo, B., & Lin, L. (2019). Optimal transport, mean partition, and uncertainty assessment in cluster analysis. Statistical Analysis and Data Mining: The ASA Data Science Journal, 12(5), 359-377.
  ^{[SCIE, Q1 Statistics][code]}

( Domestic Journals : KCI )

• Shin, S.J., & Seo, B.* (2024). Real-Time Private Consumption Prediction Using Big Data. (in Korean). The Korean Journal of Applied Statistics, 37(1), 13-38.


• Yoo, J.K., Park, Y., & Seo, B.* (2024). Using Noise Filtering and Sufficient Dimension Reduction Method on Unstructured Economic Data. (in Korean). The Korean Journal of Applied Statistics, 37(2), 119-138.

Policy Papers

• Seo, B., (2024). 빅데이터 기반 민간소비 패턴 분석과 전망[Private Consumption Pattern Analysis and Forecasting Based on Big Data]. BOK Issue Note, No.2024-24.


• Seo, B.*, Lee, D., & Cho, H. (2023). Point and Risk estImation using an enSemble of Models for Nowcasting: PRISM-Now. BOK Working Paper, No.2023-27.
  
  


• Seo, B., (2023). Econometric Forecasting Using Ubiquitous News Text: Text-enhanced Factor Model. BOK Working Paper, No.2023-10.


• Seo, B., (2023). AI 알고리즘을 이용한 산업모니터링: 증권사 리포트 텍스트 분석[Industry Monitoring Using AI Algorithm: Analyst Reports Text Mining]. BOK Issue Note, No.2023-5. [pdf]


• Shin, SJ., & Seo, B., (2022). 빅데이터를 이용한 실시간 민간소비 추정[Real-Time Private Consumption Prediction Using Big Data]. BOK Working Paper, No.2022-16. [pdf]


• Seo, B.*, Lee, Y., & Cho, H., (2022). Machine-Learning-Based News Sentiment Index (NSI) of Korea. BOK Working Paper, No.2022-15. [pdf]


• Seo, B., (2022). 뉴스 텍스트를 이용한 경기 예측: 경제부문별 텍스트 지표의 작성과 활용[Economic Forecasting Using News Texts: The Compilation and Usage of Text-based Economic Field Indicators]. BOK Issue Note, No.2022-18. [pdf]
  
  


• Seo, B., Lee, Y., Cho, H., (2022). 기계학습을 이용한 뉴스심리지수(NSI)의 작성과 활용[Comilation and Usage of News Sentiment Index (NSI) Using Machine Learning]. National Account Review, 2022(1), 68-90. [pdf]

In Progress

• Seo, B. & Yoo, J., Collective Expert Intelligence : Automated Algorithms for Industry Analysis Using AI and Language Modeling. Submitted.


• Seo, B.*, Lee, D., & Cho, H., Point and Risk estImation using an enSemble of Models for Nowcasting: PRISM-Now. Submitted.


• Lee, Y.J., Kim, S., Seo, B., & Park, K.Y. Measuring Monetary Policy Surprises Using Text Mining: The Case of Korea. Will be submitted soon (the manuscript is available upon request).


• Seo, B., Explainable Neural Mixture Modeling For Clustering.

TEACHING

(Statistics & Engineering)

• Text Mining & Natural Language Processing (UG in Stat at SMU)
• Statistical Machine Learning (UG in Stat at SMU)
• Statistical Methods I (MS in Stat at SMU)
• Practicum in Statistical Analysis (UG in Stat at SMU)
• Introduction to Probability and Stochastic Processes (UG in Engineering at PSU)
• Elementary Statistics (UG in Stat at PSU)

(Economics & Business)

• Big Data Analytics in Macroeconomics (MA in Econ at SKKU)
• Machine Learning for Finance and Economics (MA in Stat at Korea Univ.)
• Topics in Data Information (MA in Grad School of Policy Studies at Korea Univ.)
• Data Mining for Automated Economic Analysis (Working Professional in Finance & Econ)

MEDIA COVERAGE

News Coverage

• 한은·통계학회, 공동포럼 개최…"AI·빅데이터 기반 통계 모색" (뉴시스, 2024.09.19)
• 한은 경제모형실, 빅데이터로 하반기 분석해보니 "소비 개선·물가 둔화" (아주경제, 2024.08.25)
• 한국은행, 단기 경제 전망 모형 '프리즘Now' 개발 (연합뉴스, 2023.12.19)
• AI 텍스트 분석, 숫자 넘어선 예측 가능 (연합인포맥스, 2023.02.16)
• 챗 GPT 등 자연어 기술로 경제 분석 혁신 될 것 (금융경제신문, 2023.02.16)
  ...
• (SBS 모닝와이드 - 친절한 경제, 2023.02.16)
  
  

Magazine

• 설명가능한 인공지능? 한은소식, 2021(9), 36-39.
• 텍스트마이닝으로 분석한 한은소식. 한은소식, 2020(5), 20-21.
  
  


• 머신러닝, 유학, 그리고 무언가를 배운다는 것. 한은소식, 2020(3), 11-13.

CODES

pip install tspoon

import mixturelinearmodel
from mixturelinearmodel import MixtureLinearModel
from utils import plot_mosaic, plot_ci, explainable_tree, explainable_condition, explainable_dim, highest_explainable_dim, plot_id_1d, plot_id_2d, plot_id_3d

install.packages("devtools")
devtools::install_github("seo-beomseok/HDclustVS")
library(HDclustVS)
?HDclustVS

install.packages("OTclust")
library(OTclust)
?OTclust

SEO Keywords: 서범석 한국은행 통계 경제 머신러닝 빅데이터