In the 1950s, the Japanese export sector just then standing back up was known for pottery and cheap folded-tin toys.
In the 1960s after investing in machinery more modern than western legacy forges they started towards a leading position in steel.
In the 1970s, they came for big-ticket consumer products like appliances and automobiles.
By the 1980s they were exporting electronics, industrial management expertise, and capital.
(They had been known for optics since before WWII.)
Since the 1990s they have been exporting their culture.
Korea has very intentionally been following the same path with maybe a 25 years’ lag.
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