Germany is still much respected in this world, so you do not have to boast about your reseach institutions being better than South Korea, which no one can verify, just like Indian like to blah blah about their IIT being the best in the world, which no one care.
However, South Korea of today are better than Germany of today in some aspects, so I do not need to compare with West Germany 20 years ago:
- Education: their students always rank among the best in the world, along with Japan, Hong Kong, China and Finland. I do not see Germany here.
- The hi-tech infratructure in Korea is better than Germany. Most of statistics figures shows that, so do not boast if you do not have specific data.
- Their infrastructure is as good as Germany, if not better. I never been to Germany, but have been to several other western european countries, so I just guess.
- Their foreign reserve is higher than Germany now (marginally though), but surely much more than West Germany of 20 years ago, so they have more room to operate in reunification. You can be the biggest economy in the world with little money to spend, just like the US now.
- Germany may be ahead of Korea in machine tools, but behind Korea in some other hi-tech industries. You can boast that you have best institution in the world, but who know. Every country have their pride in being the world's first, the world's best etc., therefore, many self-boasting advertisement are just self-boasting. People want to believe them, because it make them feel good.