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네이버 공유 카카오 공유 트위터 공유 페이스북 공유

First Korea Foundation International Conference on Nation Branding

Organized by the Korea Foundation and sponsored by the JoongAng Ilbo, the international conference on nation branding, under a theme of “Branding Global Korea: Charting the Next Step,” was held at the Shilla Hotel in Seoul on November 28, 2008, which included the participation of 27 related specialists from Korea and abroad.
As the influence of “hard power,” centered on traditional military and economic strength, continues to subside, the importance of “soft power,” related to a country’s cultural capability, has since emerged at the forefront of the international community’s global relations. The advancement of soft power has also led to the rise of “national branding” concepts that are used to measure a country’s global competitiveness, based on its public diplomacy, ability to attract investment, cultural resources, and tourism activities.
As for Korea’s nation brand, however, it fails to properly match the country’s economic capability and actual potential. Therefore, Korea needs a strategy to enhance its nation brand, at the national level. To utilize nation branding as a strategic means to improve Korea’s soft power, the Korea Foundation invited national-branding professionals from Dubai, Scotland, Japan, and Korea to discuss a strategy to enhance the nation brand value of Korea.



Nation Brand Concepts
The first session, on the definition of newly developed nation branding concepts, featured presentations by Suzanne Rosselet, Deputy Director of the World Competitiveness Center, IMD, Lausanne, Switzerland; Keith Dinnie, Associate Professor of Business, Temple University and author of “Nation Branding”; and Cho Dong-sung, Professor, College of Business Administration, Seoul National University.
In her discussion of “Competitiveness Rankings for Enhancing a Nation’s Brand,” IMD’s Suzanne Rosselet noted: “The foundation to enhance national competitiveness calls for the creation of an environment of free competition for business enterprises and effective policy measures by the government.” She maintained that individuals, business concerns, and nations need to make ceaseless efforts to improve their image, while adding that Korea should establish its own ways to enhance its nation brand, by utilizing the IMD’s competitiveness rankings, not as a kind of nation brand ranking, but as a reference to gauge the perceptions of others.
Professor Keith Dinnie of Temple University advised Korea to acquire a clear understanding of nation branding concepts based on national identity and country-of-origin aspects. In this way, he called for Korea to establish its own nation brand that would be in keeping with the images of Korea. Based on a survey conducted by the Institute for IndustrialPolicy Studies (IPS), Seoul National University Professor Cho Dong-sung stressed the importance of creating nation brand values at the national level, which incorporate regional characteristics, in his presentation on “Country of Origin, Nation Brand, Representative National Product, and Representative National Brand.”

Strategic Efforts
Based on the definitions of nation branding concepts, the second session discussed successful models that might be applicable to Korea’s situation, through comparison and analysis of other countries’ experiences to enhance their nation brand. Mohamed Osman, Professor of Economics and Statistics, University of Dubai, emphasized that the successful promotion of Dubai, as a hub of the international economy, was largely due to creative image-making efforts led by the government, based on the country’s openness and stability.
Rober t Dujar r ic, Di rector of the Inst i tute of Contemporary Japanese Studies (ICJS), Temple University Japan Campus, mentioned that Japan seeks to implement a nation branding strategy to attract skilled workers from East Asia, because of the serious consequences of its low-birth rate and aging society. As for the nation branding strategy of Scotland, Judy Torrance, former Head of International Marketing, Government of Scotland, pointed out that government investment in nation branding was directly related to a country’s image, competitiveness, trade, and investment, along with emphasizing the need for government-led nation branding efforts.
To introduce the case of Korea, Choi Jung-wha, President of Corea Image Communication Institute, explained that Korea’s image has long been dominated by negative perceptions of “protest demonstrations and being a divided country.” She thus stressed that Korea should make efforts to enhance its nation brand through corporate and private sector initiatives, together with national publicity activities and policy administration.

Window to Korea
This session was designed to narrow the perception gap of Korea’s image, as seen by Koreans and by foreigners, in an effort to a nation brand appropriate for Korea. Chaired by CNN Seoul Bureau Chief Sohn Jie-ae, the session featured lively debate among The Wall Street Journal’s Evan Ramstad, NHK Seoul Bureau Chief Tadashi Idishi, Channel News Asia Correspondent Lim Yun-suk, and Newsweek Correspondent Lee Byung-jong. The discussants noted that images of a country are based on the views of foreigners, even though their perceptions might not reflect the actual reality. It is thus important to properly present the images that Korea desires by utilizing foreign correspondents in Korea, who will introduce Korea in a positive light to the world.

Korea Brand Promotion
The final session focused on the development of a comprehensive strategy to enhance the brand value of Korea. Roland Villinger, Managing Director of McKinsey, Inc. Korea, stated: “Leadership and a strategic approach, not simply a publicity campaign or slogans, are essential for nation branding. Targets need to be defined and integrated messages should be d under the government ’s strong leadership.” For the promotion of nation branding efforts, Professor Chun Chae-ung, of the Department of International Relations, Seoul National University, pointed out the need to establish strategic goals and methods, and assure the efficient implementation of specific action plans, rather than only expressing vague rhetoric and empty pledges.
In her “Trade in Dramas and National Image” presentation, Professor Park Sora, of the Department of Journalism and Mass Communication, Hanyang University, explained the impact of cultural resources, such as TV dramas and films, on a country’s images. She contended that “star marketing” has the ability to sway consumer preferences toward the commercial products of a particular country, along with noting the nation branding potential of the Hallyu (Korean Wave) phenomenon. Finally, Professor Lee Jang-woo of the School of Business Administration, Kyungpook National University, suggested that Korea should more actively utilize its variety of cultural and industrial resources.
The conference included the attendance of about 100 prominent representatives from the political, business, and related sectors, including Bang Seongyu, Director-General, Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism; Bae Soon-hoon, Vice President, KAIST; and Bae Jae-hyun, Director-General, Cultural Affairs Bureau, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade. A second conference on nation branding is scheduled to be held on Jeju Island in 2009.

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