Korea: Lessons Learned in Pursuit of a Knowledge Economy Strategy

Brownbag Seminar, May 3,  2006

Presenter: Dr. Cheonsik Woo, Vice President, Korea Development Institute

Moderator: Anuja Utz, Senior Operations Officer, WBIKD

Dr. Cheonsik Woo explained the strategies and policies Korea has employed in its pursuit of a Knowledge Economy Strategy, including a discussion of weak points and success factors.  In addition, he drew policy lessons to be applied to developing countries in pursuit of a knowledge-based economy and discussed the challenges and tasks Korea has faced in sustaining economic growth in the knowledge age.

Korea’s Lessons Learned in Pursuit of a Knowledge Economy Strategy (presentation, PDF 409 KB, opens in a new window)

For more information, please also see:

• Program on New Industrial and Innovation Policy 
• Seminar on Capacity Building in Asia: the Korea Development Institute's Experiences and Lessons 
• Seminar on Growth Miracles Revisited: Origin and Evolution of Korean Economic System. 
• Comprehensive assessment: Republic of Korea: Transition to a Knowledge-Based Economy. 

Speaker bio: Dr. Cheonsik Woo is Vice President of the Korea Development Institute (KDI), leading the Department of Industrial and Corporate Affairs.  Since joining KDI in 1995, he has worked on many issues related to Korea’s long-term development such as enhancing industrial competitiveness, upgrading the education and HRD system, and transition strategy to the knowledge-based economy. He has a BA in economics from Seoul National University, and MA & Ph.D. in economics from Columbia University. Before joining KDI, Dr. Woo taught at Clemson University.  He also serves on several committees of the Korean government, including Performance Management Committee (Ministry of Planning and Budget), Educational Policy Advisory Committee (Ministry of Education and HRD), and the FDI Committee of the Presidential Commission for the Northeast Asian Business Hub.  He is a primary author of many official publications of the Korean government, including “Dynamic Korea: A Nation on the Move (2004)”, “Vision 2005: Human Resources Development Master Plan of Korea (2001), and “The Knowledge-based Economy Master Plan of Korea” (1999).  His most recent works include “Strategy to Upgrade Korea’s Services Sector” (2005), “Reforming Korea’s Higher Education” (2004), and “A Comprehensive Study on Korea’s Industrial Competitiveness” (2003).