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CSIA visits Morgan Stanley
1-3 Ji-hye Seo
Investment banks are well known for their strict security policy which rarely let other people in the company. So is Morgan Stanley, the Top 3 investment bank in the world. Preventing information outflow is certainly crucial for the survival of investment banks. Surprisingly, a few students from Cheongshim International High School had an unusual chance to visit Morgan Stanley International Seoul Branch and meet with the vice president, Mr.Keum Han-Chul. The lucky students who got the rare opportunity were in the CSIA National Securities Competition preparation team. They were granted with the fortunate chance as a reward doing their job well in the team.
It was a bright and somewhat breezing Friday of September 9. Instead of going home, the students dedicated their Friday afternoon for the extraordinary experience of visiting the best investment bank. Ms.Choi Ji-yeon, the instructor of the preparation team, and Mr.Donkin the one who arranged the meeting accompanied with the excited students. When they eventually reached Hungkuk Life Insurance Building in which Morgan Stanley was located, students were completely overwhelmed by the businesslike, professional atmosphere among the areas. Except for Morgan Stanley itself, extremely well renowned financial companies such as Goldman Sachs and Merrill Lynch too were in the building. Entering the building, which seemed to be alienated to their lives right before, was somewhat touching for the students.
Mr.Keum Han-Chul, the vice president of Seoul Branch, by himself directed the students inside Morgan Stanley. It was after he asked students to be quite for other worker¡¯s sake that the students truly realized where they were and what it meant. It was just amazing. After he briefly explained about himself, he explained students about investment banking and the company Morgan Stanley. As a vice president of Morgan Stanley who has worked for the company for more than 5 years, Mr.Keum explained essentials of the job more efficiently than anybody else. He told a great deal about his work experiences and they indeed were interesting. Right inside the investment bank, the knowledge regarding it seemed to be ¡°real¡±, not abstract and theoretical.
After, most of the time was spent with the questions of the students. Students freely asked about any question regarding investment banking and general economy and Mr.Keum sincerely answered for all the questions. Questions were really free. Mostly, students asked about difficulty, merit, and the most exciting moment of his job but some asked him to explain certain economic concepts. A student even inquired about the internship opportunities in Morgan Stanley. Considering that it is hard to meet and a financial expert such him and ask questions, questions and the regarding answers served students as an enormous help.
Time indeed flew at an unbelievable speed and soon students had to say good bye to Mr.Keun and Morgan Stanley. For the employees of Investment Bank, time is the most precious thing. They usually work approximately 140 hours a week without having any leisure time. So that it was an enormous and unusual favor of Mr.Keum to spend his time with CSIA students. To understand something, it is better to see once than to listen a hundred times. Thanks to Mr.Keum, students could learn the living knowledge. Visiting the real investment bank and meeting with the vice president! The experience was certainly not comparable to reading books and internet resources about investment banking. The students were also encouraged to do well in the preparation team. Hopefully, the valuable experience will bring more valuable lessons to the students.
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