I first visited South Korea in 1986. I remember vividly my experience there. I went basically to pursue some economic leads. Korean companies at that time were the “craze” in the Gulf countries winning massive projects in the very lucrative and competitive construction sector. I remember checking in at the centrally located Seoul Hilton, the receptionist at the front desk handed me the keys to my room as well as a gas mask. I was surprised and asked “what is this for?” He calmly looked at me and said “we have big protests scheduled at noon today”. I thought to myself how “organized” were they. Korea was a land ruled by the military trying hard to create a new democratic model and launching a serious industrial capitalistic base as well. They were extremely obsessed to “beat” their former occupiers, the Japanese, in their own game. They competed head-to-head against the Japanese and that's no small task in itself. The Koreans duplicated the Japanese renown corporate structure of big companies known as “Sogashosha”; the Korean model became known as “Chaebol”. The Koreans became a fully democratic nation, improved its governance. Its fight on corruption became successful causing the fall of legendary names and kept them behind bars. Korea's biggest hit, however, was its massive effort to revamp its entire educational system; it took nearly two decades to reap the benefits of that effort. Now the Korean educational system is easily ranked among the world's best, constantly competing with the likes of New Zealand and Finland for the world best system. The Koreans have succeeded in producing some of the world's leading global brands such as Hyundai and Kia in the automotive sector, Samsung and LG in the electronics and home appliance arena. Korea has also managed to become the “Hollywood” of the Far East. Its movies are “must see” hits for the majority of Asians. Therefore, it was not a surprise to see the Korean megahit “Gangnam style” by rapper “Psy” becoming the world most watched and heard song. We are now living in “Korea times”. All of this is also due to a growing sense of achievement and fulfillment among its citizens. The Koreans are becoming more confident, sure of themselves and moving away from the huge shadows of their Japanese nemesis. They successfully hosted the Olympics and did a great job in co-hosting the Olympics with the Japanese. Tourists are flocking to visit Korea in record numbers with greatly improved infrastructure of new facilities. Korea can offer loads of lessons to countries in the Arab world that used to look down on this nation. It is a great turnaround and a beautiful success story, indeed. Have you tried a Korean barbeque with kimchi? Try it as you talk on your Samsung phone and ride in your Hyundai!
