After World War II, South Korea has long focused on diplomacy with the United States and Japan. Since the early 1970s,

Charming Jeju Island (75 photos)

has implemented an open-door policy. After the Roh Tae-woo government came to power in 1988, it vigorously promoted "Northern Diplomacy" and developed relations with socialist countries. Subsequent governments have pursued active foreign policies. South Korea joined the United Nations together with North Korea on September 17, 1991.

After Kim Dae-jung took office as president in February 1998, he continued to work on consolidating alliances with the United States and Japan, and at the same time strengthening friendly relations with China and Russia. In terms of policy toward North Korea, Kim Dae-jung promoted the "Sunshine Policy" and proposed the "Three Principles toward North Korea" of not using force against each other, not engaging in absorption and reunification, and strengthening exchanges and cooperation between the North and the South. He advocated a "package plan" to end the Cold War structure on the Korean Peninsula. Korean Peninsula issue.

A multi-level and all-round diplomatic pattern has been basically formed with the South Korea-US alliance as the basic axis, strengthening the diplomacy of the four major powers, the United States, Japan, China and Russia, and actively participating in regional and international affairs.

After President Roh Moo-hyun took office in February 2003, he emphasized the development of mutually beneficial and equal relations between South Korea and the United States, promoted regional cooperation between South Korea, China, and Japan in Northeast Asia, and at the same time strengthened relations with other countries such as Russia, ASEAN, and the European Union, and actively participated in Regional and international affairs.

As of November 2010, 45 countries and regions have signed free trade agreements with South Korea.

In the 1960s, South Korea’s economy began to take off. Since the 1970s, rapid growth has continued, with the per capita GDP increasing from 87 US dollars in 1962

Busan, South Korea's second largest city (23 photos)

To 10,548 US dollars in 1996 The U.S. dollar created the “Miracle on the Han River.” In 1997, after the Asian financial crisis, South Korea's economy entered a period of medium-speed growth. After the financial crisis in September 2008, South Korea was once considered to be the second country to go bankrupt, following in the footsteps of Iceland. But within a year, the situation turned around, and South Korea actually became the fastest recovering among the 30 OECD member countries: the OECD, which represents the club of advanced countries, had an average growth rate of exactly 0% in the second quarter, while South Korea’s economic growth in the first quarter of 2009 was The rate was 0.1%, reaching 2.6% in the second quarter, and 2.9% in the third quarter. In 2010, South Korea's per capita national income exceeded 21,640 US dollars (exchange rate method). As for foreign exchange reserves, as of the end of February 2012, South Korea's foreign exchange reserves were 315.8 billion. South Korea is the world's 7th largest exporter and 9th largest importer. The Korea-EU Free Trade Agreement and the Korea-U.S. Free Trade Agreement (KORUS FTA) officially came into effect, making South Korea the first country in the world to sign free trade agreements with both the EU and the United States.

Steel, automobiles, shipbuilding, electronics, textiles, etc. are South Korea's pillar industries, among which industries such as shipbuilding and automobile manufacturing are world-renowned. Large corporate groups occupy a very important position in South Korea's economy, including Samsung, Hyundai Motor Co., Ltd., SK, LG and KT (Korea Telecom Company)

The third largest city in South Korea—Incheon (28 photos)< /p>

The output value created by large enterprise groups such as China accounts for more than 60% of the national economy.

South Korea’s per capita gross national income exceeded the US$20,000 mark for the first time in 2007, reaching US$21,695. Affected by the international financial crisis, South Korea’s per capita gross national income fell to US$19,296 in 2008; it fell in 2009. to $17,193. [15]

In 2010, South Korea’s economy grew by 6.2%, and per capita gross national income exceeded the US$20,000 mark again.

South Korea’s trade volume reached US$100 million for the first time in 1964, achieved US$10 billion and US$100 billion in 1974 and 1988 respectively, and exceeded US$500 billion in 2005. As of December 5, 2011, South Korea's cumulative exports this year were US$515 billion and its cumulative imports were US$485 billion, making it the ninth country in the world with a trade volume exceeding US$1 trillion.

As of the end of February 2012, South Korea's foreign exchange reserves increased by US$4.46 billion from the previous month to US$315.8 billion, setting a record. Among South Korea’s foreign exchange reserves, government bonds and other marketable securities were US$289.5 billion, an increase of US$4.26 billion from the previous month; investment reserves were US$17.97 billion, an increase of US$120 million from the previous month; the International Monetary Fund (IMF) Special Drawing Rights (SDR) It was US$3.56 billion, an increase of US$70 million from the previous month; the International Monetary Fund's reserve position was US$2.6 billion, an increase of US$20 million from the previous month; gold reserves were US$2.17 billion, unchanged from the previous month.

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