SOUTH KOREA
The success of South Korea as an industrialised country was achieved through an export manufacturing strategy. The main focus of the Korean government from the 1970s was to promote industrial upgrading and to participate in technology-intensive sectors in globalised supply chains. During the 20th century, Korea sourced its raw materials from other developing countries. The overarching logic of of on-time production and supply chains management followed the market rule in manufacturing products.
However, as geopolitical rivalry between the United States of America and China escalate, pressures for alignment of economic and political interests seek new strategies for the Korean government and big businesses.
Thus, Work Package 4 examines the politics of building an industrial strategy to respond to these pressures and the motivations for big businesses in light of existing efforts toward de-risking and decoupling from China and the U.S.
