Korea is a fascinating country for economists and policymakers from around the world because of her remarkable economic success story from the 1960s to the 1990s, which is often called “From rags to riches” or “the Korean Miracle.”

For better or worse, Korea’s past economic performance, with all her policies and institutions, should be also of great interest and worthy of serious study for the diplomats posted in Korea.

Policy-makers in Korea have always faced a new set of challenges from the initial stage of development and have adjusted to rapidly changing internal and external environments.

The Course is created to provide an overview of the history and success factors behind Korea’s economic and social development.

It provides a solid introduction to the detailed sectorial issues that have been the main focus areas of the Korean government’s policy, including macro-economic management and finance, industry and trade, human resources development, science and technology, rural development, reforestation and social policy.

It then introduces major economic reforms after the 1997 foreign exchange crisis, and touches upon challenging issues facing the contemporary Korean economy with perspective on Korea’s future.

For this purpose, Sunnong Culture Forum has invited prominent speakers with abundant knowledge, expertise, and policy experiences in their respective fields, among them are two former Deputy Prime Ministers, former Minister of Education, and former Presidents of the Korea Development Institute (KDI) and other influential think-tanks.

This is a unique opportunity for diplomats to fully grasp the process of Korea’s successful transformation from aid dependency to self-sustainable development.