How economic dependency was created through the WTO: A case study of South Korea

Abstract

Adapting the framework of dependency theory, the article asks how the economic dependency of less developed countries (LDCs) on developed countries (DCs) is created through free trade. This article uses South Korea’s entry into the World Trade Organization (WTO) as a case study to illustrate this economic dependency creation process. Based on second-hand data from existing studies, the European Union, and the WTO, this article finds: (i) due to limited farmland size and high production costs, South Korean agricultural products cannot win a seat in the world market; (ii) the local agricultural sector was destroyed in South Korea because small farmers cannot earn a living by farming; and (iii) since the local agricultural sector cannot support the food demand in South Korea, South Korea now has to import a large amount of food. This article concludes that free trade actually destroys the local agricultural industry and the food security of South Korea, and consequently makes South Korea have to rely heavily on DCs for food import.