Indeed, it is revealing that when South Korea was desperate for dollars following the failure of Lehman Brothers, it borrowed from the United States Federal Reserve, not from the Fund. After their experience in 1997-1998, Korean policymakers would sooner jump off a cliff than borrow, even without conditions, from the IMF.
在雷曼兄弟倒闭后那一段时间，韩国极度需要美元，但它跑去向美联储借款，而没有向 IMF 求助，这很能说明问题。自从有了 1997~1998 年的不快经验以后，韩国政府宁可从悬崖上跳下去，也不愿向 IMF 借钱，哪怕不附带任何条件。