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Who created The Han River Miracle?

The Han River Miracle in a broad sense refers to South Korea’s rapidly developing export-oriented economy, including rapid industrialization, scientific and technological progress, improvement of national education and national ideological and moral quality, rapid improvement of national living standards, urbanization, modernization, democratization and internationalization. process of transformation. The rapid development of South Korea’s economy has transformed South Korea from the ruins of war into the 11th largest economy in the world, and has created world-renowned multinational groups such as Samsung, LG and Hyundai. In 2006, South Korea’s GDP reached 1,011.8 billion US dollars, making it a developed country.

In a narrow sense, the term Han River Miracle refers to the rapid economic development of Seoul from 1953 to 1996. Because the Han River runs through the center of Seoul and divides Seoul into Gangnam and Gangbuk, it is named after the Han River. The term is borrowed from the term “Miracle on the Rhine”, which describes the rapid economic recovery of the former West Germany after the end of World War II.

South Korea’s achievements in economic development were unimaginable at the end of the Korean War. Seoul’s infrastructure had been destroyed during the Korean War, and millions of South Koreans were struggling with poverty and unemployment. In 1961, when Park Chung-hee launched the May 16 military coup, South Korea’s per capita GNP was only $100 per year. During the 18-year rule from 1961 to 1979 when Park Chung-hee was in power, Park Chung-hee launched the New Village Movement and the South Korea Five-Year Plan according to the national conditions of South Korea, which enabled the rapid development of South Korea’s agriculture and industry. In just 40 years, Seoul has grown from a ruin to a world metropolis.

Background

Park Chung-hee was obsessed with the prosperity of the country and the nation all his life. After he came to power, he made great contributions to the rise of South Korea and was the creator of the “Han River Miracle”.

At the same time, there are also negative comments on Park Chung-hee. The Park Chung-hee regime disregards human rights and restricts the media and freedom of speech. During Park Chung-hee’s administration, Korean cinema was in a state of depression at the time. Many see this period as the rock bottom of the Korean film industry. Park Chung-hee believed that South Korea at that time did not have the conditions for democracy and freedom.

In his view, there can be no democracy without economic revitalization. He believed that poverty made the state fragile, so he made poverty eradication rather than the creation of democracies a priority. Park Chung-hee not only restricts freedom of speech, but also arrests and suppresses those who oppose him. South Korea’s Central Intelligence Agency, founded by Park Chung-hee, was a formidable agency at the time.

On January 12, 1973, at the New Year’s press conference, Park Chung-hee announced that he would transform the industrial structure and expand the industrial base; to develop comprehensive chemical, shipbuilding and machinery industries, it was necessary to introduce the latest technology and build large factories. The development of the heavy chemical industry and the defense industry will go hand in hand to catch up with the will of North Korea.

Result

In 1965 South Korea’s per capita GNP ($106) was half that of the Philippines, and by 1979 it reached $1,745, three times that of the Philippines. The “Miracle of the Han River” has already revealed its clues.

South Korea has bravely used the reverse thinking of “turning crisis into opportunity” at this moment. Earn back the money to buy oil from the Middle East.

Influences

South Korea’s successful economic experience tells us that a country must have an industrial development model that suits its national conditions in order to achieve economic success. South Korea has achieved brilliant achievements in a short period of time because it has a development model that suits its national conditions. As a typical representative of the “East Asian Miracle”, South Korea adopts a development model in which the government actively intervenes in industry and economy.

Government leadership is an important feature of the Korean economic development model, that is, the government first fully participates in economic planning, formulates macroeconomic development strategies and industrial policies, or adopts indirect induction policies or directly intervenes to foster and guide promising industries and encourages large-scale industries. The enterprise group actively explores the market and further enhances its competitiveness in the market.

The success of the Korean industrial development model shows that as long as relatively backward countries or regions have the correct development direction, give play to the active leading role of the government, and continuously improve the industrial structure and enhance the independent innovation capability and technical level of the industry, they can give full play to their latecomer advantages. Realize the leap-forward development of the industry and the country.