Development at Home and Abroad: My Lessons from Korea

By HeeJin Lee

May, 2007

 

It seemed inconsequential that many government officials would be working overtime into a hot summer night.  At exactly six o’clock, the central air conditioning system of the Foreign Ministry would turn off, and those still in the building were left to catch light breezes from their desk fans or the small windows located at the peripheries of the office.  It was the summer of 2005, and I had recently arrived from the United States for an internship with the Economic Organization Division of the Korean Foreign Ministry.  There, I was assigned to work on international development issues just as Korea decided to expand its role as a donor country to match the strength and size of its economy.  In 2005, Korea became the tenth largest economy in the world, thereby cementing its successful transition from one of the poorest countries in the mid-twentieth century.  My work made me reflect on Korea’s own development status.  I was perplexed by the juxtaposition of what appeared to be anachronistic conservation practices of the Foreign Ministry to the abundance of mega-malls, skyscrapers housing offices of multinational corporations, and high-tech gadgets in Seoul.  Was Korea now a developed or still a developing country? 

 

Before my internship, I had never consciously thought of Korea as a developing country.  To me, the dramatic social, economic, and political changes associated with the “Miracle on the Han” seemed to have passed with my parents’ generation, even though the popular demonstrations which facilitated these transformations continued throughout my childhood.  The demonstrations held in my hometown of Kwangju – the capital of a province the government had overlooked in its drive for economic growth – were merely part of the daily landscape of my life in Korea during the 1980s.  When my family moved to the United States, I did not perceive a marked difference between our lifestyles which would have suggested Korea’s status as a lesser developed country. 

 

However, studying modern Korean history as a college student and living in Seoul during my internship at the Foreign Ministry helped to broaden my understanding of Korea’s socio-economic development as well as my own part in it.  For example, I came to realize that the ardent emphasis on education in Korea reflects a desire to cultivate human capital.  The small, public elementary schools I attended in the Korean countryside followed a rigorous curriculum which included graded midterms and finals in reading, writing, mathematics, natural and social sciences starting in the first grade.  Class ranks were given to motivate all students to achieve the high standards the teachers had established.  In addition to the importance placed on education, I believe that a collective sense of national pride contributed to Korea’s growth.  In the United States, my family has always looked to buy products made in Korea, such as cars, electronics, and house wares, before considering alternatives.  Like many Koreans living overseas, we are proud of the products made by our workers and companies and want to ensure that our purchases benefit them. 

 

By learning more about Korea and reflecting on my own experiences, I realized that development is not necessarily a distinctive process with a clearly defined beginning and an end.  Rather, I believe that it is more of a continuous accumulation of the effects of socio-economic policies, no matter how small, on the everyday lives of ordinary people.  During my internship, I became aware of how I had benefited from Korea’s development.  In the last fifteen years, the Korean government relaxed previous limitations on free speech, press, and association.  Once considered sacrifices necessary for the rapid expansion of the national economy, these restrictions reached even the Korean citizens residing overseas.  As a result of this tidal change, I was able to study Korean history and politics in college without the fear of possible government censure.  While in Seoul, I could openly debate past and present government policies with friends at a crowded restaurant downtown, and contemplate a career in the public sector as a young woman.  I discovered that Korea is still developing, in the sense that it continues to adjust to the social and political consequences of its earlier economic achievements. 

 

My perspectives on Korea helped me approach international development as a constant and holistic process which does not end with economic benchmarks.  As an intern, I assisted the Economic Organization Division in examining the different possibilities Korea could undertake in increasing its grant aid contribution to regional and international organizations.  My responsibilities included conducting research on the policies of major donor countries to learn more about the current trends in donor practices and to explore what type of policy would best fit Korea.  Understanding Korea’s development helped me to appreciate the needs of the lesser developed countries.  Even though development for each country is shaped by its own unique history and society, I felt that Korea would be able to provide meaningful assistance based on its own experiences.  While it may be too soon to see how Korea’s new initiatives for development assistance will affect the views of its society, I believe that they will reflect a willingness to promote a more equal relationship between donor and recipient countries based on a shared background in development. 

 

The writer recently completed her first year at the University of Iowa College of Law.

 

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