The New Korea: An Inside Look at South Korea's Economic Rise

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Teeing Off:

Korea’s Obsession with Golf

THERE IS VERY LITTLE that is natural about building golf courses in

Korea. The country is small—slightly larger than the size of Indiana.

The terrain is mountainous—less than a third of the land is fl at. And,

unlike archery and martial arts, there is no ancient historical tie to

the sport on the peninsula.

Nevertheless, Koreans are obsessed with the game and golf

courses are being built across the peninsula at breakneck rates.

They love its high- society image, and they love the fact that their

countrymen—or, shall we say, countrywomen—are excelling at

the highest levels of the game. Young Korean women practically

dominate the Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA), the top

women’s tour in the world. And there is every reason to believe that

that level of success will continue for years, as young girls take

up the sport in droves and have the money to get the best train-

ing. The sport is also popular among wealthy middle- aged house-

wives. Women make up roughly a third of the players in the country.

For these women, golf solidifi es their status and networks in high

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194 The New Korea

society. It also gets them out of their homes and immersed in a peace-

ful environment that offers health benefi ts.

But beyond the status and success in competition, golf is a busi-

nessperson’s game. It has become a necessary part of forging rela-

tionships with clients and new partners and sealing business deals.

As one president of a semiconductor company put it, he had to learn

how to play golf for the sake of his business.

On any given day across Korea, tens of thousands of men and

women, dressed in ultraexpensive golf outfi ts, pack the driving

ranges and the hundreds of golf courses across the country. The de-

mand far exceeds the supply of golf courses, so new ones are be-

ing planned wherever they are feasible. Often that means on land

that can’t be cultivated for crops. Accordingly, developers are blast-

ing away mountainsides—and drawing the ire of villagers. As of

early 2009, dozens of construction projects were in various stages

of development. But the recession has put most of those projects

on hold. Still, there’s no doubt the thirst for golf will continue for

years to come.

THE ULTIMATE STATUS SYMBOL

On March 1, 2006, Lee Hae- chan, the prime minister of South Ko-

rea, was seen in Busan playing golf with wealthy businessmen,

including one with a criminal record. It was a national holiday,

marking the day in 1919 when Koreans declared their indepen-

dence during protests against Japanese colonial rule. But while

Lee was rounding the greens, 17,000 railway workers across the

country had gone on strike, causing massive disruptions to the

transportation system. News of Lee’s golf outing created a public

uproar. Two weeks later, President Roh Moo- hyun accepted

Lee’s resignation.