S Korea's Industrial Might Relies on Japan, Lacks SME

choi

(1) Jonathan Soble, In Search of Salvation; Japanese manufacturing; Under pressure from both domestic policies and foreign competitors, the sector behind the postwar miracle is shifting overseas. heightening concern about the nation's ability to recover from its two-decade economic malaise. Financial Times, Jan 5, 2012
http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/0/7 ... .html#axzz1idJ4LR2Y
("The strength of Japanese component-makers was also highlighted by the debut passenger flight of Boeing's 787 Dreamliner in October, a third of whose high-tech parts were made in Japan. Toray, the materials group that supplies the lightweight carbonfibre elements that make the model more fuel efficient than older aircraft, may not be a househol name such as Sony but it represents what is arguably the most competitive corner of Japanese manufacturing.")

My comment: There is no need to read the rest of this article.

(2) In print there is a sidebar, which is very informative.

Christian Oliver, Seoul's Titans Triumph but Little Lies Below.

My comment:
(a) Unfortunately, to reach the sidebar, one has to go to the main article, as they share the same URL (sidebar at the bottom of the web page). Fortunately, however, ther is no need to sign in with the web site.
(b) Indicating Korea's dependence on Japan's high-tech sector, the sidebar says, "In 2010, South Korea ran a titanic $36bn trade deficit with its old colonial overload."

In comparison, that year, Taiwan ran a whopping $33.9bn trade deficit with Japan, whereas China enjoyed a trade surplus of $3.7bn (also with Japan). "Whopping" in terms of per capita valuation, as Taiwan's population is about half of S Korea's.