Systems Thinking for Strengthening National Competitiveness in South Korea

This paper is not a research study but rather a preliminary framework constructed with regard to the problem of national competitiveness in the Republic of Korea, at a time of economic stasis and political and social disquiet. In order to strengthen South Korean economic competitiveness, major components of the Korean socio-economic and political structure need to draw on the lessons of systems thinking. In the globalized period, the systems approach necessary to optimize Korean competitiveness would build towards the unified identity of global citizenship. This would require redefining Korea’s comparative advantage in terms of human capital accumulated through education and invested in interactions with other nations. The most productive contemporary comparative advantage, in terms of co-evolution, ultimately is based on global citizenship as part of the evolution of shared rights and responsibilities within universal citizenship.