Have you heard of this country?
It is a land that was colonized by another country from 1910 to 1945 and fell to ruins due to war in 1950. At that time, experts predicted that it would take 100 years for the country to find itself again. Foreign press even said, “After 35 years of Japanese colonization, ideological conflict, and now a war, I think there is more of a chance of a rose blooming out of a trash heap, than this country being able to stand on its own.”
It was the poorest country in the world in 1960 with a $67 GDP per capita. But they joined the OECD in 1996, and their GDP per capita rose to $30,000 USD,
becoming the 12th richest country. It grew from being the most poor country in the world to being the 12th richest country in the world.
More than anything else, this country is the only one to have become an OECD development aid country after being an aid recipient country since the OECD was formed.
Among countries that gained independence after WWII, this country is the only one that xperienced democratic movements at the same time as an industrial revolution. Now, it is the second country that sends the most people overseas for volunteer projects after the United States.
In order to help Asia and Africa, this country has sent 14,000 volunteers to 67 different countries etween 1990 and 2016 for overseas volunteering pportunities.
As of 2020, this country’s population is not even 1% of the world’s population. But, there are 8 millions Overseas Koreans, sharing their music and mainstream culture, ultimately growing their fanclub to be 100 million of foreigners.
It is difficult to find another example of a country that naturally spread its culture to the world without imperialism and hegemonism. In its 5,000-year-old history, this country has been promoting Asian values and is using its cohesive cultural power to get people interested in Asia and share its dream and friendship with the world.
An investing company, Goldman Sachs, predicted that in 2050, this country will step ahead of Japan and Germany, and have the second highest GDP per capita in the world with $81,000. This country is the Republic of Korea.