ABSTRACT
The story of imported technology in the Korean petrochemical industry starts in 1960 with the establishment of the first modern chemical plant, the Chungju Fertiliser Company. Aided by the US Agency for International Development and staffed by most of Korea’s university-trained chemical engineers, Chungju formed the nucleus of the modern chemical industry. Next, in 1967, came the first oil refinery, operated by the Korea Oil Corporation (KOCO) at Ulsan in south-eastern Korea.
