South Korean success

I wonder how much of Korea's success in the recent crisis is a function of having very good but often not the very best products (and being able to price more competitively as a result).  Not merely because as rich country consumers "traded down" they saw the value in Hyundais over Hondas, but also because, for a large part of the global economy (emerging markets) Korean products are their products.  And so, with a different export and customer and a bias towards the customers who survived, Koreans did exceptionally well?