영국 연구소 CEBR의  WELT 2019 보고서, "한국 2030년대에 영국과 프랑스를 능가하는 세계 6위 GDP"

Korea is a fast growing and wealthy economy in Asia which in GDP per capita terms is rapidly catching up with its neighbour Japan. In 2018 it was the 32nd richest country in GDP per capita terms at $41,420 in international dollars. In 1960 its GDP per capita on the same basis is estimated at $79 (and its actual nonPPP adjusted GDP per capita only $159), lower than many parts of Sub Saharan Africa, so the pace of development has been spectacular even by Asian standards. 
The structure of the economy is dominated by export led growth from industry dominated by ‘chaebols’ family led conglomerates. Following the Asian economic crisis in 1997 Korea suffered from a liquidity crisis and needed an IMF bailout. One of the conditions of the bailout was an economic restructuring that led the country to concentrate on information and communications technology (ICT). Korea now leads the world in many parts of the ICT hardware business. Because of the success of these manufacturing exports, industry accounts for as much as 39% of GDP in Korea. 
The Korean population of 51.2 million is still growing, if relatively slowly at 0.4% per annum in 2017. But technological progress means that growth is supported by productivity. 
Korea has traditionally run a budget surplus. The surplus in 2018 was 1.3% of GDP and, although this is expected to fall back into balance over the next two years, this means that the country is about the most fiscally stable in the world. The gross debt to GDP ratio at 40% is misleading – more appropriate is the net measure which shows a debt of only 11%. 
The traditional standoff with North Korea has held the country back and in early 2017/18 the crisis seemed to risk nuclear war. But energetic action by the Chinese seems to have diffused the problem and a rapprochement seems to be taking place. If it develops further it could become a major stimulus to growth. We are still working on the assumption that the situation remains much the same as in the past but positive moves towards unification would change our forecast dramatically. A unified Korea at South Korean living standards would have a GDP that would be the sixth largest in the world in the 2030s overtaking both the UK and France. 
We predict that GDP will rise at annual rates of 2.7% 2018-23 and 3.0% 2023-33.  
Ranked 11th in the 2018 World Economic League Table, we predict that Korea will enter the ranks of the world’s 10 largest economies in 2026 even without unification.