Lectures

• •Instructor : Yitaek Park
• •Year : Year 4(2024-2025)
• •Difficulty : Intermediate
• •Target : Specific
• •Field : Economy and Society
• •Type : Ordinary
• •Week : 12 Weeks
• •Keywords
  High-growth system, Export-oriented industrialization, Industrial structure, Capital allocation, Firm, Skill formation

Summary

Korea is a notable example of a country that overcame colonial rule and extreme poverty to become a developed nation. This course explores the fundamental question: How did Korea achieve this transformation?

Industrial revolutions represent the shift from poverty to prosperity. The first occurred in Britain, followed by Japan. Korea’s industrialization, however, did not simply replicate these earlier models. Instead, it developed in its own distinctive way. While the British and Japanese experiences offer valuable lessons, Korea’s path provides equally important insights. Studying Korea’s industrialization offers a window into the historical roots of its modern economic system and a deeper understanding of how development can emerge under unique historical and institutional conditions.

Instructor

“Company Growth in Korea, Japan and Taiwan during the First Half of the 20th Century: A Comparative Study on Economic Development,” Review of Economic History 69, 2019 (Kor)
“Historical waves of wage inequality in Korea: 1971-2016,” Review of Economic History 68, 2018 (Kor)

Guidebooks