Korea's soft power : examining the intersection between nation branding and public diplomacy

다국어 초록 (Multilingual Abstract)

The role of public diplomacy as a legitimate arm of diplomacy has been steadily gaining traction over the last several decades. The discourse around the use of public diplomacy as a means to exercise a country’s soft power has evolved into new models of public diplomacy that take into consideration recent developments such as the collapse of the Cold War dichotomy, the rise of transnational non-state actors, the dominating presence of global media systems, and the important place held by civil society. The literature on this new public diplomacy often comes into contact with an examination of the rising phenomenon of nation branding as a communication process focused on constructing national identity.
The emergence of nation branding has prompted an academic discourse over how these two concepts both converge and diverge. Both have seemingly similar goals but differ in their conceptual foundations and guiding principles. The government of the Republic of Korea has enthusiastically embraced the latter in an effort to define its image overseas, actively aware that the results are inextricably linked to the health of its export-oriented economy. It has also acknowledged the importance of practicing public diplomacy although its agenda is much less well-defined.
This paper will examine the Korean government’s efforts to engage in both public diplomacy and nation branding in an analytical framework that views these activities as distinctive but not entirely different mechanisms of exercising soft power. The paper seeks to clarify the characteristics of Korean soft power by identifying how particular initiatives are responses to the unique set of soft power challenges facing Korea. The paper will conclude with identification of the critical factors contributing to the success and failure of Korean public diplomacy and nation branding.

목차 (Table of Contents)

• 1. Introduction 1
• 2. Literature Review 5
• 2.1 Theorizing Public Diplomacy 5
• 2.1.1 Soft Power 6
• 2.1.2 Constructivism 8
• 2.1.3 Old Public Diplomacy 10
• 2.1.4 New Public Diplomacy 10
• 2.2 Analyzing the Effects of Public Diplomacy 12
• 2.2.1 Time and Flow of Information Framework for Analysis 14
• 2.3 Nation Branding 15
• 2.3.1 Hexagon of Competitive Identity 18
• 2.4 The Relationship between Public Diplomacy and Nation Branding 19
• 3. Korean Public Diplomacy 23
• 3.1 Background 23
• 3.2 Notable Initiatives 25
• 3.2.1 Broadcasting 25
• 3.2.2 Educational and Cultural Exchange 26
• 3.2.3 Advocacy 28
• 3.2.4 Listening 29
• 4. Nation Branding in Korea 31
• 4.1 Background 32
• 4.2 Major Elements 33
• 5. Analysis: Characterizing Korean Soft Power 36
• 5.1 Public Diplomacy 36
• 5.2 Nation Branding 39
• 5.3 Shifting Perception 41
• 5.4 Convergence and Divergence in Practice 43
• 6. Implications: The Way Forward for Korea’s Soft Power 47
• 6.1 Recommendations 51
• 7. Conclusion 54
• 8. References 57