higher productivity through a move away from labor intensive manufacturing practices. Increased propsperity for workers has also led to a greater demand for domestic consump tion, which has, in turn, caused some manufacturers to devoteincreased emphasis to the domestic Korean market.
This research examines Korea's export patterns during the decade of the 1980s. Additionally, Korea's export experience is compared with those of other countries, both developed and developing.
Preview of the Remainder of the Study
The following chapter presents an examination of trends and patterns in Korean exports during the 1980s. Industrial sector emphasis, commodity patterns, and regional targeting are reviewed. Korea's export experience in the 1980s is analyzed in Chapter 3. In this chapter also, the Korean export experi ence in the 1980s is compared with that of other countries, both developed and developing. Conclusions drawn from the research findings reported in Chapters 2 and 3 are presented in the final chapter.
KOREAN EXPORT PATTERNS AND TRENDS: 1980 1989
From 1965 through 1986, Korea's per capita GNP increased by an average 6.7 percent per year (The World Bank, 1989). As dramatic as this growth rate is, it tends to understate that which has occurred more recently. During the 10 year time per iod 1978 1987, per capita GNP increased from US$1160 (Paxton, 1982) to US$3450 (Paxton, 1989) a 197.4 percent increase in 10 years. GNP growth in 1987 was 12.5 percent, and annual fore casted growth for the 1988 1991 time period is 7.3 percent. For the decade of the 1980s, the avrage annual growth rate was 9.8 percent (International Monetary Fund, 1990). Export patterns and trends within this remarkable growth achievement are exained in this chapter. Major topical areas of discussion are principal factors fueling growth, the export orientation in Korea's economic planning, and export patterns and trends.
When it was deve...