What made South Korea Flourish
What made South Korea Flourish?
Most foreigners, and even the younger generations of South Koreans, think South Korea was able to develop so quickly due to generous aid from the United Nations and other countries. That is partly true. Without the support, we probably would have struggled more or not have been able to develop so quickly. However, more importantly, it is due to great leadership within Korea, and the Korean people who were willing to cooperate and work hard to develop their country.
Some Korean political leaders claimed that the geographical features of South Korea made manufacturing and heavy industry too difficult, and we also did not have modern technology or experience working with these industries in our country. They also said that we needed to develop the agricultural sector in order to feed hungry people. Realistically, their claims wer right.
At the time, South Korea was still a developing country, and we did not have knowledge of or access to any advanced technology. However, many smart leaders who believed South Korea could flourish, pushed forward, and the leaders and Korean citizens pledged to eradicate poverty in their generation for the benefit of the future generations. Many people worked in the U.S., Germany, Japan, and other countries to make money to send home to Korea.
Although they worked in difficult situations, they endured patiently to see a bright future. Students, who saw their parents working really hard, believed that only studying could change their lives for the better. As a result of the long struggle, South Korea was able to host the Olympics in 1988, and this proved that South Korea had successfully caught up with the rest of the developed world.
Korea’s tough education system is well known to other countries. Most high school students study more than 18 hours a day to enter prestigious universities. Once students graduate from university, they work hard until they retire. Some foreign people think it is insane for students. However, they are heavily influenced by their family members, and they understand that if they don’t study hard in school, they could struggle for the rest of their lives.
The Korean government is gradually changing this tough education system, because they are beginning to realize that we can change our country by working and studying hard, but there is a limit. In order to make improvements going forward, we need creative and innovative ideas.
Students in the new generation discuss and debate a number of scientific and political topics in order to practice critical thinking and problem solving, as opposed to in the past, when the emphasis was mostly on memorization.
Korean people have a tendency to want to finish everything quickly. This strategy worked well in the 20th century, but it will not work in the 21st
