우리나라의 적정(適正)바스켓환율(換率) : 시장평균환율제도(市場平均換率制度)의 운용기준(運用基準) 모색(模索)

Korea's Optimal Basket Exchange Rate : Thoughts on the Proper Operation of the Market Average Rate Regime

본고(本稿)는 원화환율(貨換率)의 적정운용(適正運用)을 모색해 보았다. 이를 위해 먼저 Lipschitz(1980)의 방식을 따라 원화(貨)의 실질실효환율(實質實效換率)을 안정시킬 수 있는 적정통화(適正通貨)"바스켓"을 구성해 보았다. 80년대 중반 이후 이를 적용했을 경우 실제의 경우보다 원화(貨)의 실질실효환율(實質實效換率)이 훨씬 안정될 수 있었음이 입증되었다. 또한 특정시점에서 구한 적정가중치(適正加重値)를 계속해서 적용하는 것보다 주요환율(主要換率)과 상대물가간(相對物價間)의 관계변화(關係變化)에 따라 가중치(加重値)를 수정해 나가는 것이 바람직하다는 점도 지적되었다. 이와 같은 적정통화(適正通貨)"바스켓"과 그에 기초한 "바스켓"환율(換率)은 우리의 경상수지(經常收支)나 생산성(生産性) 변화추이(變化推移)와 함께 시장평균환율제도하(市場平均換率制度下)에서 적절한 환율운용(換率運用)을 위한 중장기적(中長期的) 지표(指標)의 하나가 될 수 있을 것이다.

For the last several years, considerable criticism has been leveled against Korea's exchange rate management. While Korea was designated a currency manipulator by the U.S., domestically it is often complained that the won/dollar rate did not adequately reflect changes in Korea's export competitiveness and fluctuations in the exchange rates of major currencies. In view of this situation, Korea changed its exchange regime at the beginning of March this year from the dual currency basket system to a more flexible one, called a "market average rate regime". Under this new regime, the won rate is determined in the exchange market based upon the supply of and demand for foreign exchange and is allowed to freely fluctuate each day within a + 0.4 % range. This paper, first, seeks to evaluate Korea's exchange rate management under the dual basket regime of the 1980s, and then to construct an optimal currency basket for the won which could provide a proper indicator for exchange market intervention under the new market average rate regime. The analysis of fluctuations in the real effective exchange rate (REER) of the won indicates that the won rates in the 1980s failed not only to offset changes in relative prices between home and trading partner countries, but also to properly respond to variations in major exchange rates as further evidenced by sizable fluctuations in the nominal effective rates of the won. In other words, the currency basket regime which was adopted in 1980 for the stabilization of the REER of the won has not been operated properly, mainly because authorities often resorted to policy considerations in determining the won's rate. In the second part of the paper, an optimal currency basket for Korea is constructed, designed to minimize the fluctuations in the REER of the won without including policy considerations as a factor. It is recognized, however, that both domestic and foreign price data are not available immediately for the calculation of the REER. For this problem, the approach suggested by Lipschitz (1980) is followed, in which optimal weights for currencies in the basket are determined based upon the past correlation between price and exchange rates. When the optimal basket is applied to Korea since the mid-80s, it is found that the REER of the won could have been much more stable than it actually was. We also argue for the use of variable weights rather than fixed ones, which would be determined by the changing relationship between exchange rates and relative prices. The optimal basket, and the optimal basket exchange rate based on that basket, could provide an important medium- or long-term reference for proper exchange market intervention under the market average rate regime, together with other factors, such as developments in the current account balance and changes in productivity.