Problem setting. The relevance of the topic of scientific researchis due to the active involvement of culture in the foreign policy discourse of states and international organizations, which enhances scientific interest in understanding cultural diplomacy as an extremely important instrument of international cooperation.
Target of research. Research of cultural diplomacy of the Republic of Korea as a component of public diplomacy, characteristics of its features, as well as the potential impact of this experience on Ukrainian cultural policy.
Analysis of resent researches and publications. Analysis of scientific research allows us to state the growing interest in the stated topic in scientific discourse, as evidenced by the work of such scientists as F. Barghorn, J. S. Nai, Su Huang Young, S. A. Gutsal, J. R. Johnson, E. W. Kim, M. M. Lebedeva, G. I. Lutsyshyn, L. S. Matlay, A. S. Prygunkova, M. V. Protsyuk and others.
Article’s main body. A unique example of the effective use of cultural diplomacy is the Republic of Korea, which is increasingly using new public diplomacy in its foreign policy, through which the country promotes its achievements abroad in political, financial, economic, industrial, technological, agricultural, scientific and cultural spheres. and thus enhances the national reputation in the world. The «Korean wave» is a phenomenon of South Korean culture, which contributed to the rapid growth of the popularity of the Korean brand. The article characterizes the main stages of development of cultural diplomacy of the country and their specifics, reveals in more detail the essence, role and influence of K-pop on general political interaction with the world. The importance of the South Korean experience for the development of Ukrainian cultural diplomacy is especially noted. The authors call the following acute problems of Ukrainian cultural diplomacy: - development of a strategy for cultural diplomacy; - awareness of the relationship between the success / failure of cultural diplomacy and the economic condition of the country; - ensuring the attractiveness of Ukraine for its own people etc. An example for Ukraine is a moderate and reasonable combination of borrowed cultural experience and national cultural potential.
Conclusions and prospects for the development. The cultural component of the public diplomacy of the Republic of Korea is very actively developing. It is worth noting the relevance of studying the phenomenon of the «Korean wave» as a set of components of mass culture of the Korean people. The «Korean wave» is a clear manifestation of the processes of glocalization, reasonable and balanced unity of the processes of modernization and preservation of traditional values, which provides great opportunities for further cultural and economic development of this country.
