Seoul: When the world calls South Korea the land of the “morning calm”, it hides the truth of a nation forged in fire. Today, this small East Asian country stands as one of the most advanced economies on earth. By 2025, it had become Asia’s fourth-largest and the world’s thirteenth-largest economy. Together with Taiwan, Hong Kong and Singapore, it is known as one of the “Asian Tigers”. But there was a time when South Korea had nothing.
In 1950, as India celebrated its new Republic, South Korea was beginning a parallel journey. The two nations were rebuilding from the ashes of history. But one decision would change South Korea’s fate forever.
This story has returned to the spotlight because of a historic meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping in the South Korean city of Busan. Following their talks, Washington reduced tariffs on Chinese goods by 10 percent, a move that once again placed South Korea at the heart of global diplomacy.
South Korea occupies the southern half of the Korean Peninsula, bordered by China to the west, Japan across the sea to the east and North Korea to the north. Its capital, Seoul, is now among the largest metropolitan areas in the world and a major global hub of business, culture and innovation. The official language is Korean, written in both Hangul and Hanja and the national currency is the won. South Korea is a key non-NATO ally of the United States.
Once, Korea was a single country. The division began in 1910 when Japan annexed the peninsula. After Japan’s defeat in World War II in 1945, the land was split into two zones, the north under Soviet influence and the south under American influence. In 1948, both nations declared independence. North Korea became communist, while South Korea followed the democratic path.
War came soon after. In June 1950, the Korean War broke out. China backed the North and the United States supported the South. By 1953, both sides signed a ceasefire agreement, but a formal peace treaty was never reached. Even today, the two Koreas remain technically at war. Marked along the 38th parallel, the border remains the most heavily militarised frontier on the planet.
From that point, South Korea’s transformation was nothing short of miraculous. According to ‘Country Studies: South Korea’, in just three decades, the nation rose from a poor agrarian economy to a modern industrial powerhouse. Economists called it the “Miracle on the Han River”. The country joined the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and the G20, and is now listed among the “Next 11” nations expected to shape the global economy in the mid-21st century.
After the armistice of 1953, South Korea rebuilt itself step by step. In the 1950s, its economy relied mainly on agriculture and small industries. But the leadership decided to focus on consumer goods and light manufacturing. In the 1970s and 1980s, attention shifted to heavy industries and technology.
President Park Chung-hee’s five-year plans, launched in 1962, became the backbone of this economic miracle. In only 30 years, factories rose where fields once stood, cities replaced villages and exports flooded the world. Between the 1960s and 1990s, South Korea’s rise was so extraordinary that it was grouped with Taiwan, Singapore and Hong Kong as one of Asia’s miracle economies.
In contrast, India, though rich in potential, had prioritised heavy industries first and turned to consumer sectors much later.
South Korea now spends nearly five percent of its GDP on research and development, one of the highest ratios among OECD countries. Its education, healthcare and social systems are among the most efficient in the world. India, by comparison, still spends less than one percent on R&D, though the target is two percent. In 2020-21, India’s R&D spending stood at just 0.64 percent of GDP, while most developed nations exceeded two percent.
In sixty years, South Korea turned itself into a nation defined by discipline, innovation and unbreakable will. From war-torn ruins, it became a world leader in technology, manufacturing and design. The streets of Seoul now pulse with the rhythm of progress, a reminder that a country’s destiny is never fixed, only forged.
And as Trump and Xi Jingpin shook hands in Busan, the city that once struggled for survival stood as a stage for the world’s most powerful leaders, evidence that miracles are made by those who refuse to surrender.
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: ZEE News
