| The World Bank Indicators show that the national | | | | investing in the industry of robotics, trying to |
| rate of growth in the period between 1997 and | | | | make South Korea the ‘World's Number 1 |
| 2003 was 0.7%, while the world average was of | | | | Robotics Nation’. |
| 1%. In the 70’s, the South Korean economy | | | | Three percent of the total South Korean GDP is |
| was based mostly in industries like automotive | | | | covered by agriculture. The country is covered |
| and the heavy industry. The country’s GDP | | | | mostly by mountains, making cultivation very |
| has been growing up until 1990, when it began to | | | | hard. Urban areas have been growing, leaving less |
| slow down, as it had matured. The financial crisis | | | | land to be cultivated. Nowadays South Korea |
| in Asia that began in the year 1997 weakened the | | | | imports to satisfy its nutritional needs. The |
| South Korean model. In 1999 the country’s | | | | country produces vegetables and fruit, rice, |
| economy began recovering and continued to | | | | barley, milk, eggs, fish and root crops. |
| grow until 2001 when, due to exports that were | | | | The agriculture sector is providing less than it |
| falling and the global economy slowing down, the | | | | used to, as industry has taken over: |
| economy stopped growing as much. | | | | telecommunications, shipbuilding, steel, electrical |
| Industry and services cover bigger parts of the | | | | products, petrochemicals, manufacturing, motor |
| country’s GDP: 36%, respectively 60%. South | | | | vehicles and mining. The service sector includes |
| Korea is the biggest IT nation in the world, with | | | | hotels, public bath houses, insurance, services |
| the ‘National ITA Project’, over US and | | | | related to health, laundries. Cities are high in |
| Japan. It is also the most wired country on the | | | | technology, especially from the point of view of |
| globe, with a highly developed telecommunication | | | | entertainment: billiards, game rooms and ping-pong |
| technology. In the present, the government began | | | | tables. |