In Seoul's vibrant central district, the lustre of rising affluence fills the atmosphere. Among the busy streets and underground, shopping arcades proliferate, the fruit of a rapid period of industrialisation that has transformed South Korea into a top-ten export-driven powerhouse boasting a slew of world-class manufacturing brands.
Samsung Group, well-known in the West for its mobile phones and flat-screen televisions, is among the world's largest conglomerates: by annual revenues, the company would rank among the world's top 50 economies. Besides high-end electronics, South Korea has developed a thriving trade in car production, steel, petrochemicals, robotics, and is the world's largest ship-builder. Enjoying a gross domestic product (GDP) growth rate of 5% in recent years, South Korea now ranks as the world's 13th largest economy. Not bad for a country which, only 40 years ago, subsisted on a per capita income equal to that of present-day Sudan.
