The Key Components of South Korea’s Soft Power: Challenges and Trends

2021 ◽  
Vol 23 (2) ◽  
pp. 279-286
Author(s):  
Agapi E. Matosian

To this day political processes are less and less impacted by military force. States are increasingly resorting to the use of means of latent influence or relying on cultural attraction. Such phenomena have led to the emergence of soft power in international relations. Many countries, including the Republic of Korea, effectively use soft power tools in implementing policies at various levels. This manuscript seeks to analyze the main soft power components and tools of the Republic of Korea in foreign policy. The paper examines the background of the formation and development of soft power strategies. Many factors have predetermined the growing popularity of Korean culture, a phenomenon subsequently called the Korean Wave (Hallyu). This paper identifies the main elements of the Hallyu, including public diplomacy and South Koreas cultural economy exporting pop culture, entertainment, music, TV dramas, and movies, and examines how these elements complement each other.

2021 ◽  
pp. 27-33
Author(s):  
Oksana Stasevska ◽  
Valeria Ukolova

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.


Author(s):  
L. M. Aleksanyan

South Caucasus throughout history was at the epicenter of clashes of different religions, civilizations, nations and states. At present moment the interests of both regional (Turkey, Iran) and global actors (the United States, NATO, the EU, Russia and others.) intersect in the region. Global transformations, changing power relations in international relations have their direct influence on the political processes taking place in the region. These processes are also linked with the activities of Turkey, which aspire to regional leadership. It is Georgia, which serves as a corridor between Turkey and states of Central Asia and the South Caucasus. Turkey spreads its influence in Georgia in almost all areas using economic, military and political tools, as well as the Russian-Georgian deteriorated relations. To achieve its goals, Turkey is actively pursuing a strategy of "soft power", which further strengthens its influence in the country. Public diplomacy is a part of soft power, which also ensures the formation of a positive and attractive image of Turkey in Georgia. This article investigates the contemporary policy of "soft power" of Turkey towards Georgia. It analyses the basic tools, institutions and the direction of this policy, actively implemented by the Republic of Turkey. Particular attention is paid to the activities of the Gulen Movement in Georgia. The author makes general conclusions regarding the effectiveness of this policy.


2020 ◽  
Vol 70 (2) ◽  
pp. 9-14
Author(s):  
F.Zh. Borantayeva ◽  
◽  
K.Sh. Baisultanova ◽  

Nowadays indirect influence from other countries is becoming commonplace. This article discusses the features of the formation and development of the strategy of "soft power" in South Korea. The authors analyzed the theoretical foundations of “soft power” and the historical aspects of its formation and disclosure of the essence of this policy in South Korea.


Author(s):  
Joseph S. Nye

This chapter examines Barack Obama’s foreign policy agenda. The Obama administration referred to its foreign policy as ‘smart power’, which combines soft and hard power resources in different contexts. In sending additional troops to Afghanistan, his use of military force in support of a no-fly zone in Libya, and his use of sanctions against Iran, Obama showed that he was not afraid to use the hard components of smart power. The chapter first considers power in a global information age before discussing soft power in U.S. foreign policy. It then explains how public diplomacy came to be incorporated into American foreign policy and concludes by highlighting problems in wielding soft power.


Author(s):  
E. V. Li ◽  

The purpose of the article is to study the history of the cooperation between twinned regions – the Irkutsk region and the Gyeongsangbuk-do province, which has lasted for 25 years. The data on the activities and projects organized during this period has been provided. Regional cooperation plays an important role in international relations. One of its purposes is to expand and strengthen interaction between two countries. The article examines the experience of cooperation between twinned regions – the Irkutsk region and the Gyeongsangbuk-do province – and studies the role of interregional interaction in relations between the Russian Federation and the Republic of Korea. The regions cooperated actively in 2016–2018 and later the cooperation was suspended due to the spread of COVID 19. Most of bilateral contacts have been in cultural and educational sphere. At the same time, there is a predominance of the events organized by the Korean side, which is along the lines of the “soft power” strategy of the Republic of Korea. And although the Irkutsk region and the Republic of Korea cooperate in economy, tourism, education and other fields, the role of the Gyeongsangbuk-do province is very insignificant in this process. Despite the fact that at each privat meeting the heads of the regions declare their intention to implement joint projects in the economic and medical sector no significant results have been achieved in this direction so far. Thus, the current relations between the regions do not play a significant role in the development of relations between the Russian Federation and the Republic of Korea and are mainly aimed at promoting the culture of their own country in the territory of the partner region.


Moldoscopie ◽  
2021 ◽  
pp. 43-53
Author(s):  
Cristina Ejova ◽  
◽  
Anastasia Esanu ◽  

This article explores the public diplomacy of the European Union at the current stage and its reflection in the Republic of Moldova. The methods and techniques of public diplomacy have been used in the foreign policy of states over the centuries, however, only in the second half of the twentieth century they began to turn into a conscious state policy, with a solid theoretical and legislative framework. Public diplomacy is the most efficient and frequently used method of implementing the “soft power” of the state, which includes cultural, educational, sports, journalism, scientific, etc. projects, focused on interaction with the elite and society in other countries and which aims to create an attractive image of their country. The EU started to develop intensively public diplomacy and strategic communication actions in the Republic of Moldova in order to inform effectively the citizens of Moldova about its assistance and support in the process of the European integration of the country. Therefore, this article analyses the specific tools and strategies of public diplomacy applied by the European Union in the Republic of Moldova.


2005 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 233-257 ◽  
Author(s):  
AKIKO SAKAEDANI

Japan and the Republic of Korea have been going through a painful process of reconciliation since World War II. But with the momentum created by the FIFA World Cup and the high popularity of Korean pop culture in Japan, the trend shifted and the two countries seem to be enjoying a more amicable relationship. This paper aspires to understand when and how the steps toward reconciliation were taken between the two countries. The overarching research questions are: what steps were taken, and what channels of communication contributed to or hindered the process of reconciliation? Section 1 first lays the historical context of the dispute, and Section 2 assesses the diplomatic steps taken toward reconciliation by applying Assefa's reconciliation model, which leads to an analysis of discrepancy between the governments and the civil societies. Section 3 considers the impact of the FIFA World Cup in 2002, when momentum for friendship was reinforced by the various exchange activities at civil society level, as well as the Korean pop culture. The in-depth interview adds insights and public opinion polls clarify the perceived status of reconciliation. Section 4 concludes by returning to the more generalized issue of how communication between the two nation states has changed with the information technology, which is key to understanding the dynamism of the lingering reconciliation process.


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