One problem that various thinkers have studied is the relationship between culture and social development. This article will try to explain the principal characteristics of South Korean culture and its Confucian heritage as positive factors in the development of South Korea. To do so, it addresses the existence of values of Confucian origin in government and society. Next, the article reviews historical factors that played an important part in South Korean development. Finally, the authors reach the conclusion that development is possible in distinct cultural contexts, and that it is not possible to establish a deterministic connection between a specific social framework and the conditions of social development.