Locational Behaviors of the Park Regime in the Republic of Korea

Abstract

After the establishment of the Park Regime, the development of the Korean economy, especially that of her manufacturing, has been remarkable; and its annual increasing rate in her first five-year economic development plan (1962-66) is 15%, higher than that of G.N.P.During the period, we see some changes in the composition of values added by province. Gyeonggi-do, with the City of Seoul, the core industrial area in Korea, is losing its ground, while Pusan city, the central city in the southern part of Korea, and its neigh-bouring Gyeongsangnam-do is on a fair way of development. Especially, the index of values added of Gyeongsangnam-do (100 as of 1963) zoomed up to 992 as of 1967, the highest ratio in Korea (Fig. 1 Table 1, 2).This development is caused mainly by the construction of Wulsan heavy industrial estate on the Japan Sea in Gyeongsangnam-do (Fig. 3). Then the Park Regime is going to construct the second in Yosu city on the Korea Strait in the eastern part of Jeonlanam-do, after the keen competition with Inchon city near the City of Seoul. And in addition to that, the schemes for Masan free port and Pohang iron and steel plant are going on. All these sites are situated in the Southern Economic Region in Korea (Fig. 4).From these facts, we can find out the following spatial principles of her locational behaviors and their basic conditions.The 1st principle of behavior is to avoid the risk of destruction by North Korea and her allies. So she constructed her first big industrial estate- the symbol of Korean development- in the area far from the communist countries. The experience of Korean War assured her the safety of the southeastern part of Korea.The 2nd principle of behavior is to organize herself into two selfsustaining economic regions, in view of dealing with difficult situations of war time. In the light of this principle, till now, the Southern Economic Region organized by Pusan city has been behind the Northern Economic Region organized by the City of Seoul in manufacturing (Table 2). That is why, she has been endeavoring to develop the manufacturing in the Southern Economic Region.The 3rd principle of behavior is to set up their plants within the area, favourable for the constructing of the industrial districts depending on foreign trades. In foreign trades, Japan is Korea's largest supplier, followed by the United States, and her second export market after the United States. For this reason, the southeastern districts along the Korea Strait, occupies a better position in constructing the seaside industrial estates, with the financial and technical aid of Japan. Moreover, chiefly because of the less range of tide, the harbour conditions along this coast is better than those of the northwestern coast.