 Marred by poverty, malnutrition, and illiteracy, political chaos, and cultural discourse, South Korea's gross domestic product per capita in 1960 was $79, lower than that of some sub-Saharan African countries.Over the span of one generation, South Korea rapidly transformed itself from a war-torn nation into a G20 economic powerhouse.Since the 1960s, South Korea became one of East Asia's fastest growing economies achieving a rapid increase in its GDP per capita more quickly than any of its neighbors.