SOUTH KOREA: Shaping a New Era...
Student Text Page No. 1: "As a Nation"

Stand on any of the hills surrounding Seoul, and gaze across this beautiful capital city toward the Hangang River. You'll see Korea's past, present, and future! Seoul is an exciting mix of high-rise apartments and traditional dwellings, of old markets and trendy shops, of modern office towers and ancient palaces. Clearly: South Koreans cherish their past, even as they explore a new, high-tech world.

The same two values guided the city planners who restored Seoul after the Korean Conflict (1950-53). Tall new buildings soon changed the city's skyline, but ancient temples were carefully preserved, too. Indeed, you'll find the same worldview among today's Seoulites. They are just as comfortable in tees and jeans as in traditional hanboks — and just as likely to visit an old Buddhist shrine as to watch a World Cup game…. To South Koreans, their cultural heritage is as vital as their role in the global community.

Division. The terms "South Korea" and "North Korea" came into use after World War II, when the Korean Peninsula was divided by an agreement between two of the war's victors — the USA and the USSR. Koreans, who had survived annexation by Japan (1910 to 1945), expected to regain their historic independence after Japan's defeat. Instead, Korea became a playing field for a new "cold" war that turned "hot" when communist North Korea invaded South Korea. The conflict ended in a truce, leaving the North with most of Korea's resources and the South with most of its people. Without goods to trade, the Republic of Korea (in the South) had to use foreign aid to pay for vital imports.

Comeback. But that policy soon changed. The Republic of Korea (ROK) began shifting financial support to the start-up of light industries — food processing and the manufacture of appliances. South Korea's dedicated, educated workers labored hard to turn out goods for export. And early exports earned profits for more start-ups. By the 1970s, the ROK was promoting — and aiding — even bigger industries. Korean jaebeols (business associations managed by powerful families) turned to the manufacture and export of machinery, cars, electronics, chemicals…. Result? During the '70s, exports grew annually by more than 25 percent. Between 1980 and 2006, they grew by 1,300 percent! And the hub of this growth? Seoul — the country's political and cultural capital and its financial center. World economists applauded this "Miracle on the Hangang."

Challenge. That "miracle" has been tested more than once. In 1997, for example, the value of Asian currencies began to fall sharply, and South Korea had to seek short-term international aid to stabilize its own currency, the won. Not only did the nation's economy rally. It moved ahead. By 2006, its growth rate was 4.8 percent. Today, South Korea has the world's 10th largest GDP, based on currency-exchange rates (the 11th largest, in purchasing power). Its exports are valued at over $300 billion. And its 48.8 million people are thriving in cyberspace! South Korea consistently ranks among the top 4 nations in broadband access to the Internet.

Ponder This... Like other peoples caught up in the global economy, South Koreans have witnessed many changes in their lifetime: Until recent decades, their lives were shaped mostly by the customs of earlier generations. And at work promotions were rewards for years of company loyalty. Today, however, young South Koreans are starting to form businesses where innovation is prized — and where the Internet is a critical link to global information. Some Seoulites wonder: Are these new trends a threat to Korean traditions? Is our cultural identity at risk? Perhaps they find clues in these words from Ku Sang's poem, "Christopher's River 6": The river / continues the past, / is not imprisoned by the past. / The river, / while living today / lives the future too.

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