South Korea - A Leader in Information Technology and Global Trade

One unfamiliar with the Republic of Korea, or Southmanufacturer of LCD, OLED, and plasma screens,
Korea as it is more commonly known, maySouth Korea keeps up with the growing global
immediately associate the country with its short yetdemand for high definition television. The Samsung
significant war against its neighbor to the north in theGroup, maker of the popular brand, are based in
1950s. More than half a century later, South KoreaSeoul.
stands strong as one of the powerful Asian Tigers in- Automobiles: Not only is Hyundai the top automaker
the global trade arena, a presidential republic presentlyin South Korea, it is the second largest car
ranked among the top ten exporters in the world.manufacturer in Asia, and presently one of the top
With over 300 billion dollars of export revenuecompanies in terms of actual cars sold. Other makes
recorded in 2009, this tiny country does an enormousoriginating from this country include Kia and Daewoo.
business in technology and transportation industries- Shipbuilding: The materials needs to build the ships
that effect how the world moves and works daily.that carry cargo for global trade are made in the
The Miracle on the Han Riverports of this country. South Korea is perhaps the
Once a destitute area held under Japanese imperiallargest provider of the raw steel and other items
rule, then split from North Korea after World War II,needed to keep maritime commerce running
South Korea underwent major growth beginning insmoothly.
the 1960s through rapid industrialization and- Mobile Communication and Electronics: Do you own
democratization. Through drastic measures thatan LG phone? If so, you own a product from this
included conservative spending of governmentcountry's second-largest telecommunications
budgets, improvement of education, and expansioncompany. This multi-faceted business also produces
of agricultural mechanization, South Korea saw anpopular electronics, including DVD and Blu-Ray players,
impressive rise in their gross national product overFlash memory drives, and laptops.
the next thirty years. By 1989, the country preparedIt may surprise you to realize that many household
to enter the next decade with an impressive GNP ofitems you feel you cannot do without come not
over 200 billion dollars, 68 times the total from thefrom Japan or China, but this major economic giant.
early 1960s!Given their amazing growth over the latter half of
Today, this complete free democracy is known asthe twentieth century, and higher projected numbers
one of the top exporters to the United States,in the decades to come, one might expect South
particularly in the technology and automotive sectors.Korea to eclipse her neighbors in the IT industry. So
If you own a Hyundai Elantra or Accent, you arelong as the global demand for faster and quicker
driving a South Korea import. In fact, you may haveways of communication remains high, it's safe to bet
a number of items in your home or office that comethe telecom conglomerates of South Korea will
from this emerging Asian economy.emerge to the forefront of new innovations.
- Flatscreen Televisions: as the world's largest