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Troll_Bait
Joined: 04 Jan 2006
Location: [T]eaching experience doesn't matter much. -Lee Young-chan (pictured)
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 Posted: Wed Jul 16, 2008 6:03 pm Post subject: Surprising news about Korea & petrochemicals |
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http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/biz/2008/07/123_27678.html
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Petrochemicals Up With Korea�s Top Exports
Despite the country not producing a drop of oil and the exorbitant costs of fossil fuels, petrochemicals are high on the list of Korea's top exports.
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"South Korea is now the only Asian country capable of producing oil products enough to cover all domestic demand and also make reserves for exports," said Lee Dong-hoon, an official of local refiner S-Oil.
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blaseblasphemener
Joined: 01 Jun 2006
Location: There's a voice, keeps on calling me, down the road, that's where I'll always be
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| Posted: Wed Jul 16, 2008 6:21 pm Post subject: |
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| huh? I don't get it. |
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cheeseface
Joined: 13 Jan 2008
Location: Ssyangnyeon Shi
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| Posted: Wed Jul 16, 2008 6:53 pm Post subject: |
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| blaseblasphemener wrote: |
| huh? I don't get it. |
Korea has more/better oil refineries than other Asian countries........ |
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Temporary
Joined: 13 Jan 2008
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| Posted: Wed Jul 16, 2008 7:52 pm Post subject: |
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But is it better then North America or Europe or Middle East?
Sure they might have the best in Asia but thats not saying much.. Thats like winning a race in the special olympics. |
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Troll_Bait
Joined: 04 Jan 2006
Location: [T]eaching experience doesn't matter much. -Lee Young-chan (pictured)
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| Posted: Wed Jul 16, 2008 9:25 pm Post subject: |
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| blaseblasphemener wrote: |
| huh? I don't get it. |
Korea imports crude oil and processes it at refineries, producing petrochemicals which can be exported. It's sort of like how a country that has no iron ore can nevertheless produce cars in factories. |
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moosehead
Joined: 05 May 2007
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| Posted: Thu Jul 17, 2008 5:08 am Post subject: |
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so where are all these refineries?
I've traveled most of the country, haven't seen any petrochemical plants - !
seriously, where are they? |
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visitorq
Joined: 11 Jan 2008
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| Posted: Thu Jul 17, 2008 5:14 am Post subject: |
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| Sounds bogus to me... where are they exporting the oil? North Korea?? |
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pkang0202
Joined: 09 Mar 2007
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| Posted: Thu Jul 17, 2008 6:49 am Post subject: |
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Aekyung is one of slew of Petrochemical companies in Seoul. Aekyung also makes toothpaste and toiletries.
I'm sure all the major Chaebols have hteir hands in the Petrochemical cookie jar. |
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cheeseface
Joined: 13 Jan 2008
Location: Ssyangnyeon Shi
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| Posted: Thu Jul 17, 2008 6:50 am Post subject: |
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| moosehead wrote: |
so where are all these refineries?
I've traveled most of the country, haven't seen any petrochemical plants - !
seriously, where are they? |
Have you been to Incheon? Near the port? |
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ulsanchris
Joined: 19 Jun 2003
Location: take a wild guess
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| Posted: Thu Jul 17, 2008 6:51 am Post subject: |
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| the one in ulsan is supposed to be one of the largest in the world. S.oil and SK and Hyundai all have facilities out here. |
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Bryan
Joined: 29 Oct 2007
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| Posted: Thu Jul 17, 2008 11:24 am Post subject: |
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| Temporary wrote: |
But is it better then North America or Europe or Middle East?
Sure they might have the best in Asia but thats not saying much.. Thats like winning a race in the special olympics. |
North America has had extremely environmentalist legislation since the 70s that has effectively halted the creation of gas/oil refining plants. I've read that there hasn't been a new one built in decades in the US.
The Middle Eastern dictatorships are usually good for nothing. They usually export crude oil and leave the refining to other more advanced countries. That is exactly what Korea does. Most of the Middle Eastern dictatorships can't produce a thing, they basically nationalized and stole all the oil wells and technology that Western companies built anyway. I'm not including the more Westernized and advanced countries like Kuwait, Israel, and UAE in that assessment.
I'm sure Korea will only become better with this once China explores the offshore oil reserves and more oil flows out of Eastern Russia. Korea is taking steps to emulate Japan in being a industrial powerhouse without having the primary resources within its borders. Japan will never rival Korea in the oil refining industry (my guess) because of their environmentalist laws. |
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GoldMember
Joined: 24 Oct 2006
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| Posted: Thu Jul 17, 2008 2:53 pm Post subject: |
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Go out to Ulsan and you'll see miles and miles of petrochemical plants, spewing out heaps of toxic fumes into the atmosphere.
Ulsan is an absolute dump.
The Ulsan city government was so desperate to find something, anything positive to say about their city that they list, the Hyundai car factory AND the petrochemical plants as a tourist attraction.
What's next? Bus loads of tourists to gasp in amazement at the local sewage processing plant.
If it's a dirty. filthy industry but one that will produce jobs Korea will do it! |
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jhaelin
Joined: 30 Aug 2006
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| Posted: Thu Jul 17, 2008 9:23 pm Post subject: |
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as the name implies petrochemicals are chemical derivatives of petroleum
although gasoline is what we are most familiar with as consumers, everything from plastics, fertilizer components and countless other chemical additives are made from petroleum.
the surplus is probably because korea invested heavily in the chemical industries during the park chung hee era and many large corporations continue to thrive today. |
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matthews_world
Joined: 15 Feb 2003
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| Posted: Thu Jul 17, 2008 9:44 pm Post subject: |
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Any number of these conglomerates that run gas stations around the peninsula, S-Oil, etc. also operate chemical plants. Same as is the west - Conoco, Exxon, etc.
What the article didn't state is where they rank with the rest of the world. That would be really be interesting to learn.
Petrochemicals, steel and chips are something the Koreans truly excel in. |
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moosehead
Joined: 05 May 2007
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| Posted: Fri Jul 18, 2008 1:32 am Post subject: |
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yeah, my fave is propylene glycol - a food additive no less.
check the box on just about anything packaged in the States - propylene glycol is almost always included. 
also that oldie but goodie - styrofoam - I've noticed a marked increase in the past couple of years - must be a new product being turned out here.
is remarkable considering how hard we (environmentalists) worked to cut down or ban their use in the U.S. and now it's like the newest thing here -
the more things change, the more they remain the same  |
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