Just for lulz. I wish the 1960s and 2000s weren't cut off, but we all get the idea.
What I find interesting about that chart is not the ridiculous present-day gap, but that it only started in 1972... what explains the prior 19 years or so of equality?
South Korea started out with less industry, if memory serves me. Also, both countries were pretty beaten up after the war which tends to make everything else less relevant.
But I believe it took a while before South Korea started pursuing proper economic policies. And it also takes a while before such policies affect growth and then some time before growth really starts affecting aggregate levels.
