Getting entrepreneurial in Korea (Summer School)

在韩国开启创业之旅(暑期学校)

Planet Money

2026-08-19

40 分钟
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单集简介 ...

This week’s stop on our world tour - Korea. A country divided into two very different power structures since the end of WWII. Today South Korea is the maker of some of the world’s favorite exports – from Samsung TV’s to BTS. But 75 years ago it was a much different story. How the textile industry and a partnership with Bangladesh lifted the country out of poverty and paved the way for rapid economic growth. Then later in this episode – how entrepreneurial endeavors look different on the other side of the 38th parallel. We’ll follow a woman who started her own small business selling goods in North Korea. How are the Donju, members of the affluent entrepreneurial class, faring and can capitalism exist in a highly restrictive socialist society? Featured Episodes: Richard Nixon, Kimchi and the first clothing factory in Bangladesh (2013)North Korea's Capitalists (2017) Featured Terms:  VolatilityInflation expectationsCapital controlsAusterity Support: NPR+ (sponsor-free listening & bonus episodes) And please click “follow” in your podcast app so you don’t miss an episode. Read:  Our book: Planet Money: A Guide to the Economic Forces That Shape Your Life (Audiobook here) Our weekly longform Planet Money newsletterOur weekly Indicator link round-up newsletter Follow:  InstagramTikTokYouTubeFacebook This episode of Planet Money Summer School is hosted by Robert Smith. It was produced by Schuyler Swenson and Sophia Paliza-Carre and edited by Planet Money Executive Producer Alex Goldmark. It was fact-checked by Charlotte Isidore and engineered by Annlie Huang. Support public media with NPR+ and enjoy perks for over 25 podcasts like this one. Planet Money's perks include bonus episodes and sponsor-free listening. Learn more at plus.npr.org. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences. NPR Privacy Policy
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单集文稿 ...

  • This is Planet Money from NPR.

  • Welcome back, everyone, to Planet Money Summer School World Tour.

  • The only international economics degree where the currency of interest is frequent flyer miles.

  • And so far, including this episode, we have circled the globe and racked up 46,289 miles.

  • Double diamond.

  • I think we deserve an upgrade.

  • And why not?

  • We should fly first class into today's destination, Seoul,

  • South Korea, a country that has experienced quite an upgrade itself.

  • Last week in Argentina, we learned about a very rich country that had lost its shine.

  • Today in South Korea, we see the opposite, a country that has written the playbook for rising from poor to rich.

  • When the Korean War hostilities ended in 1953, Seoul was a city in near total ruin.

  • People were living in rubble and shacks, going hungry.

  • Things were grim.

  • Now Seoul, South Korea, is a glittering modern city.

  • The country is home to Samsung, Hyundai,

  • and the hot semiconductor company SK Hynix, not to mention the silky song stylings of BTS.

  • Hope this brings more young people to the podcast.

  • Bora Hay, new listeners.

  • So how did Korea pull this trick off?