SEOUL, South Korea -- From the ruins of the Korean War, South Korea rose to become an economic power, by creating a skilled and efficient workforce through education as it enjoyed the guarantee extended by the United States for South Korea’s national security.
This in a nutshell was summed up by Kim Jae Hwan, director of the Korean Culture and Information Service (KOCIS), in an exclusive interview with the Philippine News Agency (PNA) at his office here over the week.
Kim said since South Korea has “no available natural resources, people focused on nurturing capable human resources through education,” adding that “from the 50s to 60s, the importance of education arose, thus the skilled workforce expanded.”
He pointed out that South Korea’s“economic growth was not market-driven, but rather led by the government, which turned out to be efficient and effective back then.”
Another factor that enabled South Korea to achieve economic growth after the war was that “the U.S. guaranteed the Koreans national security, lessening the burden of the national defense budget,” but quickly said, "however, such strategies are no longer valid in modern times. Currently, the Korean economy is driven by the market and the private sector.”
Today, South Korea is engaged in the manufacture and export of cars, trucks, electronics, planes, and helicopters, including military aircraft, construction equipment and many more, he said.
“The Korean government focused its support on a few industries, including the automobile, electronics, and ship-building sectors, and the market was mainly led by these sectors,” Kim pointed out.
South Korea had just marked the 69th anniversary of the Korean War that broke out on June 25, 1950, when communist Chinese and North Korean forces invaded South Korea.
The Philippines was the first country in Asia to send 7,420 combat troops to help South stave off the invasion by the Chinese and North Koreans.
Today, long after the war had ended, South Koreans thanked the assistance extended by the Philippines at a time they needed it most. (PNA)
