South Korea a model for Asia

Han River with Banpo Bridge and 63 Building on Yeouido are iconic landmarks of the Miracle of The Han River and Seoul.

South Korea has been the worlds’ second fastest growing economy for over 4 decades. In 1957, South Korea’s annual per capital GDP was comparable to that of Ghana, and by 2008 it was 17 times as high as Ghana’s. South Korea’s transformation into a developed country during the later half of the 20th century has been termed the Miracle on the Han River, and South Korea is considered one of the “Four Asian Tigers”.

Today, South Korea has an advanced economy and is a member of the OECD classified as a High-income economy by the world Bank and an Advanced economy by the IMF and CIA and a developed market by the FTSE Group. In 2009, however, it is still considered an emerging market by MSCI due to the lack of full convertibility of the Korean won. Its capital, Seoul, is consistently placed among the world's top ten financial and commercial cities. South Korea has the smallest gap between rich and poor in high-income Asian economies. South Korea is regarded as a strong economy, despite lacking natural resources and having the smallest territory among the G20 major economies. The South Korean economy is the 4th largest in Asia and 13th largest in the world. Like West German and Japan, rapid industrialization since the 1960s has made South Korea one of the world's top ten exporters. It is the 7th largest trading partner of the US. South Korea has the second highest savings rate in the developed world and has the world's sixth biggest foreign exchange reserves.
An extremely competitive education environment and motivated workforce are two key factors driving this knowledge economy. The country files the largest number of patents per GDP and R&D expenditure in the world.

Environment

Cheonggyecheon is a major success in urban nature-friendly renewal

Following the rapid industrialization, air pollution and water pollution, in particular in urban areas, rose rapidly. Government actions taken since the 1990s to improve the environment led to a rapid decrease of sulfur emissions though the continuing growth of traffic has led to increase of other pollutants. Despite its small size, South Korea is the ninth largest consumer of ozone-depleting chlorofluorocarbons. There are major issues with air and water pollution due to South Korea's high population density. Recently, though, there have been several initiatives (such as the restoration of Cheonggyecheon in central Seoul) to improve the environment in Korea. In mid-2008, the Ministry pf Knowledge Economy said the country intends to spend 194.4 billion won ($193 million) on technologies and projects, including solar, wind and biofuels, in 2008.

Biotechnology

Snuppy, the world's first cloned dog

Since the 1980s, the Korean government has actively invested in the development of a domestic biotechnology industry, and the sector is expected to grow to $6.5 billion by 2010. Medical sector accounts for a large part of the production, including production of hepatitis vaccines and antibiotics.

Recently, research and development in genetics and cloning has received increasing attention, with the first successful cloning of a dog, Snuppy, and the cloning of two females of an endangered species of wolves by the Seoul National University in 2007. The rapid growth of the industry has resulted in significant voids in regulation and ethics, however, as was highlighted by the scientific misconduct case involving Hwang Woo-Suk.

Robotics

EveR-3, an android in traditional Korean dress Hanbok, capable of dancing and singing

Rpobotics has been included in the list of main national R&D projects in Korea since 2003. In 2009, the government announced plans to build robot-themed parks in Incheon and Masan with a mix of public and private funding.

In 2005, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology developed the world's second walking humanoid robot, HUBO. A team in the Korea Institute of Industrial Technology developed the first Korean android, EveR-1 in May 2006. EveR-1 has been succeeded by more complex models with improved movement and vision. Next models are scheduled to be completed by 2010.

Transportation and energy

Incheon International Airport, rated best airport worldwide 2005-2008 by Airports Council International

The Express Bus Terminal station, Seoul Subway Line 9 has become a new landmark of Seoul

South Korea has a technologically advanced transportation network consisting of high-speed railways, highways, bus routes, ferry services, and air routes that criss-cross the country. Korea Expressway Corporation operates the toll highways and service amenities en route.

Korail provides frequent train service to all major South Korean cities. Two rail lines, Gyeongui and Donghae Bukbu Line, to North Korea are now being reconnected. The Korean high-speed rail system, KTX, provides high-speed service along Gyeongbu and Honam Line. Major cities—including Seoul, Busan, Incheon, Daegu, Daejeon and Gwangju—have subway systems. Metropolitan Cities (gwangyeoksi, self-governing cities that are not incorporated into any province) have express bus terminals.
Construction of South Korea's largest airport, Incheon International Airport, was completed in 2001. By 2007, the airport was serving 30 million passengers a year. The airport has been selected as the "Best Airport Worldwide" for four consecutive years since 2005 by Airports International Council. Other international airports include Gimpo, Busan and Jeju. There are also seven domestic airports, and a large number of heliports.

Korean Air, founded in 1962, served 2,164 million passengers, including 1,249 million international passengers in 2008. A second carrier, Asiana Airline, established in 1988, also serves domestic and international traffic. Combined, South Korean airlines currently serve 297 international routes. Smaller airliners, such as Hansung Airlines and Jeju Air, provide domestic service with lower fares.
South Korea is the world's sixth largest nuclear power producer and the second largest in Asia. Nuclear power in South Korea supplies 45% of electricity production and research is very active with investigation into a variety of advanced reactors, including a small modular reactor, a liquid-metal fast/transmutation reactor and a high-temperature hydrogen generation design. Fuel production and waste handling technologies have also been developed locally. It is also a member of the ITER project.

High-tech industries

Cell phones such as Samsung and LG brands are major industry in South Korea.

Samsung Group, the world's 11th largest company and a global consumer electronics brand.

South Korea has a high-tech and futuristic infrastructure, with the world's highest broadband internet access per capital, and is a world leader in innovation.
In 2007, the Economist Intelligence Unit ranked South Korea's IT industry competitiveness third in the world. Korea's e-readiness was ranked 15th, and e-Government readiness 6th in 2008.

In consumer electronics, South Korea is the world's largest LCD, OLED and plasma display maker. Both Samsung and LG are major makers of televisions, and mobile phones.

South Korea is also the world's leading memory chip producer and Samsung and Hynix are the world's second and sixth largest semiconductor companies in the world. Samsung is also the world's largest maker of laser printers. Samsung Techwin is the world's third largest maker of digital cameras.

South Korean shipbuilding industry is one of the most highly developed in the world, headed by chaebols such as the Hyundai Heavy Industries, Samsung Heavy Industry and Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering. South Korea is the world's largest shipbuilding nation, producing over half of the world's ships in 2008.

South Korea also exports radioactive isotope production equipment for medical and industrial use to countries such as Russia, Japan and Turkey.

The government is also investing in the robotics industry, with the stated aim of becoming the "world's number 1 robotics nation" by 2025. There are also plans to develop other sectors, including financial services, biotechnology, aerospace and entertainment industries.

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It was reported that Seoul National University to launch courses to help senior citizens get the most out of retirement.

Within a short period, South Korea had progress rapidly. I cannot fathom how our Malaysian government still reject progress and refuse to see how much and how fast the world is changing. We need to have big drastic changes towards the way this country is run. It would be good if we could follow in the footsteps of South Korea.

The only way is not 1 Malaysia but 1 MALAYSIA 1 BANGSA my dear Najib.