However, Korea maintained strict controls on imports of consumer goods, in part due to the limited amount of hard currency at the time. Priority for the use of the hard currency was given to exporting firms for the import of raw materials, intermediate goods and capital goods. The government also encouraged private savings in order to provide investment funds to the up-and-coming Korean industrial sector. The attitudes built up during these years, namely a negative view toward conspicuous consumption and imports, has cast a long shadow, apparent even now, when Korea has eliminated almost all of those import barriers and achieved a GDP per capita of $10,000.