A steady seller that has served as an economic guide for countless "economic idiots," now upgraded with the latest concepts and issues!
The most friendly economic story that empowers you to read the world.

In recent years, domestic and international economic situations have been going from one extreme to the other.
Amidst the unprecedented investment boom of 2020, the stock market witnessed a remarkable surge in individual investors, the so-called "Donghak Ant Movement," while in the real estate market, housing prices soared through the roof, defying all regulations.
And this upward trend is quickly fading as the U.S. begins its aggressive interest rate hikes in earnest in 2022.
Warnings of stagflation continue, along with projections that the economy will become even more difficult in the future.
In this rapidly changing environment, the economic story from 2019, when “The World’s Friendly Economic Sense” was first published, has already become a thing of the distant past(?).
You can tell this just by looking at the headlines of the articles cited in the book.
The first edition covered tightening real estate regulations, Brexit, and bullish signals from the stock market, which are in stark contrast to today's situation.
We have published a revised edition to complement these areas and to address newly emerging or emerging issues and concepts.
This included deregulation aimed at revitalizing the stagnant real estate market, the sudden frustration of retail investors, and events in the virtual asset market. It also included the aftermath of the ongoing Russia-Ukraine War and the escalating US-China conflict, all of which contributed to the unstable international situation.

The news stories in this book reflect the times they were reported, but the economic principles they contain permeate the past, present, and future.
Economic news will continue to pour in, but to properly interpret it, it's crucial to understand the principles behind it and develop the ability to effectively apply them to your own life.
This book will serve as a solid guide for economic beginners who want such skills.

For those new to economics, including those just starting out in society, I would like to advise them to read economic articles, take an interest in the current situation, and save money.
Freshmen in society don't have their own framework yet.
This means that there is still an opportunity to establish a proper framework.
If you have the right framework during this period, you can avoid a disaster, if not a huge hit.
You need to invest time now to create your own framework.

---p.11

'Good economy' means that people around you are spending more, and 'bad economy' means that people around you are closing their wallets.
To expand a little further, 'good economic conditions' means that the owner of the restaurant I go to is making a lot of money.
This is because people with more money are more likely to go to restaurants and buy food.

---p.27

To understand the overall game, you need to be able to gauge both 'offense' and 'defense'.
On the offensive side, you can check GDP, and on the defensive side, you can check debt.
If your defense is a mess, it's hard to win even if you're good at offense.
In a situation where you keep giving up points to the opponent no matter how many times you score, the most urgent task is to strengthen your defense.
Therefore, in order to achieve steady economic growth, debt must be reduced.

---p.38~39

A country's economy can be seen as a work of art created by three main actors: households, businesses, and the government.
The reason all three subjects are main characters is because if any one of them becomes a sidekick, a great work cannot be created.
---p.45

When we rent a bike, we pay.
The money paid at this time is called a usage fee or (rental) fee.
The amount is usually quoted per hour, such as '1,000 won per hour'.
Okay, let's exchange the bike for money here.
When you borrow money, you pay a usage fee, just like when you rent a bicycle.

---p.57

If we compare the flow of the economy to a car, the market interest rate is the speed at which the car runs, and the benchmark interest rate is the accelerator and brake that control the car's speed.
The Bank of Korea is behind the wheel of this car.
The people are passengers in the back seat.
Passengers demand that drivers arrive at their destination safely and on time.

---p.74

If apartment prices continue to rise without end, those who do not own an apartment will not be able to accumulate wealth no matter how hard they try, and wealth inequality will only worsen.
Therefore, the government limits the eligibility for apartments to ensure a certain level of wealth expansion potential, thereby ensuring that opportunities are shared as fairly as possible.
The apartment ‘subscription’ system is also one of these policies.

---p.121

There are two main ways to purchase an apartment: purchasing a new apartment through a sale and purchasing an old apartment through a purchase sale. Regardless of the method, a loan is almost inevitable.
Therefore, by looking at the trend of increase in housing mortgage loans, we can gauge whether the real estate market will be active or stagnant.
---p.129

In the market, prices change according to supply and demand, but in the stock market, supply is almost limited.
Although there are times when supply changes, such as when a company is newly listed or delisted, it is generally safe to say that the market moves according to demand.

---p.168

The Foreigners and Agencies are the clans that form the highest-level parties.
Top-level inspectors, wizards, healers, and more gather to hunt bosses (high-yield stocks) in dungeons (stock markets).
They are experts who wear powerful weapons and defensive tools that have been reinforced numerous times.
They subdue the boss and obtain great items (profits).
On the other hand, ants are the so-called 'newbies' who have just started the game and bravely run through the dungeons with a dagger in hand.
---p.175

There are many factors that affect our country's exports and imports.
Incidents like the decline in Chinese tourists or the surge in oil prices are constantly occurring.
Analyzing the process in detail is a very complex task, so the current account is simply the result organized into numbers.

---p.208

Trade also follows market principles.
At this point, some countries may feel they are losing out because of trade.
In that case, 'trade barriers' are erected.
A typical way to erect trade barriers is through tariffs.

---p.215

As we enter the mobile era where articles are posted and read in real time, the purification capabilities of reporters and media have significantly declined.
Inevitably, readers have to select and filter what they read.

---p.230

The article provided as an example summarizes the current job situation.
There are many job seekers who say, "I want to work," but there are also many companies who complain, saying, "There are no workers."
It seems like it would be easy if people who want to work went to places that need people to work, but people don't go.
Why is that?
---p.240

News and articles should be thought of as the blueprint needed to complete the overall picture.
When you try to draw something, it is difficult to just draw it without anything.
However, if there is a sketch that someone else has drawn, it becomes much easier to develop your own perspective and style on top of it.
Reading an article is a process of borrowing the help of others to get the overall outline.

---p.258