'Dynamic Korea'
Receives Recognition
- The KOIS director calls for all Koreans to make unified voice in promoting the brand abroad


These days, enterprises are paying keen attention to brand marketing - managing their brand for products and corporate image, and countries and cities are competing to accumulate brand assets.
In tandem with the international trend, Korea has been promoting its own national brand, 'Dynamic Korea,' an English slogan representing Korea, adopted ahead of the 2002 FIFA World Cup Finals, said Yoo Jae-woong, assistant minister and director of Korean Overseas Information Service (KOIS).
KOIS Director Yoo said a survey of 1,000 foreigners and Koreans, conducted by World Research, an international survey and research institution last December, indicated that a majority of the respondents cited "kimchi" first, followed by "kindness," "ginseng," "soccer," and "Yonsama."
Regarding "What is the slogan that represents Korea best?," he said, seven out of every 10 foreigners surveyed, have chosen "Dynamic Korea." They replied that they got the images of "energetic." "positive," "attractive," or "global" from the slogan. They also stated that the slogan excellently illustrates the present and future of Korea including economic and industrial development, Yoo said.
Take for instance Thailand is promoting "Amazing Thailand," while Malaysia and New Zealand are pitching for "Truly Asia" and "100 Percent Pure New Zealand," respectively, the KOIS director said.
In order for the brand "Korea" to serve as premium, not a discount in the international community, KOIS Director Yoo said, "Among other things, it is important to expand public consensus on "Dynamic Korea" and for all Koreans to make a unified voice in promoting the brand abroad. Also, the participation of both enterprises and citizens is crucial. That is because of efforts to implant the national brand of a country in the people of other countries requires a lot of time, perspiration and money. And the work should be done together by its people, enterprises, and government."
Cho Sung-wook, chief of the Marketing Strategies Office at Korea National Tourism Organization (KNTO) also said he thanked the Government Information Agency for making the new slogan "Dynamic Korea," adding that the days of marketing and promoting Korea as the "Land of the Morning Calm" and "the Hermit Kingdom" were gone and the image of Korea has been reversed to "Dynamic Korea" in the course of organizing the 1998 Summer Olympic Games and the 2002 FIFA World CUP Korea-Japan. Cho made the remark during a panel discussion of a symposium, entitled with "Increasing International Competitiveness through Enhanced National Image," organized by KOIS on Jan. 18. He also emphasized the necessity for evolving the new slogan "Dynamic Korea," saying that tourism marketing may be defined as national image marketing or national brand marketing.
During the early session of the symposium, Hankook Research unveiled the results of a survey on national image, conducted last November in three advanced countries - the United States, Japan and Germany. The survey of 3,000 people, 1,000 each from the three countries between the ages of 18 to 64. was based on a quota sampling by age, sex and population.
The survey found that although people of the three countries have a highly positive view of Korea and the Korean people, they were less convinced of the credibility of Korean products.
In order to obtain a more accurate understanding of foreigners' perceptions of Korea, the survey focused on three categories: "Korea as a Nation", "Korean People" and "Korean Products."
According to the survey, six to seven out of ten respondents said they have a favorable view of Korea and the Korean people. In the Korea as a Nation category, German people gave the highest number of positive responses with 69 percent, followed by the U.S. with 63 percent and Japan with 63 percent. As for the Korean People category, Americans gave the highest ratings with 76 percent, followed by 75 percent from Germany and 64 percent from Japan.
Regarding the credibility of Koreans, 62 percent answered positively for Korea and 64 percent for Korean people. Americans gave the highest marks when responding on the credibility of Koreans.
The results seems to be due to the increasing amount of Koreans living in the country, as 42 percent of American respondents - again, the highest percentage among the three countries - said they have Korean acquaintances, Hankook Research Executive Director Jay W. Shim said.
As for likability and credibility of Korean products, Americans gave the most positive responses - 66 percent and 69 percent each - which is understandable, considering the U.S. is the biggest market in which domestic corporations actively participate.
As for the purchase of Korean products, 52 percent of Americans, again the highest portion among the three countries, answered positively.
However, regarding Korean products, the three countries were less positive as their overall positive response rate was 59 percent. Japan and Germany, who hold relatively positive views of Korea and Korean people, were less in favor of Korean products since only 49 percent and 61 percent, respectively, answered they felt favorable toward Korean products. Those who said they trusted Korean products stopped at 49 percent and 58 percent each.
While 42 percent of overall respondents said they have no intention to buy Korean products, 41 percent said they did. Among those who have purchased Korean products in the past three years, 40 percent answered negatively when it came to buying Korean products again, indicating low satisfaction with Korean products.
Although Japan is being swept over by the Korean Wave, Japanese gave lower marks for Korean products, indicating that the Korean Wave is not related to increasing practical economic profits. Japanese who said they did not trust Korean products reached 43 percent, which is about three times higher than the rates of the other surveyed countries in the same category, which were within the range of 13 percent to 15 percent. Around 42 percent of Japanese said they do not like Korean products, which means that they have a more negative image of Korean products compared to Germany with 6 percent.
Corporations should not only publicize brands and product design but also carry out aggressive marketing activities related to our national image, Shim said.
However, despite the high distrust of Korean products, 62 percent of Japanese answered they are willing to search information on Korea and 61 percent said that they are willing to visit the country, both twice as high as those of Germany and the U.S.
A positive image of Korea, Korean people and Korean products will ultimately directly influence purchases of Korean products. Through strong national brand image, the products should also enjoy "Korea Premium," Shim added.
On the other hand, the research found there were things that gave Korea a negative image. Particularly, the Korean War and the nation's past authoritarian governments; the potential instability of the relationship between South and North Korea; human rights violations; and the uncertainty of the relationship between companies and unions were pointed out.

How to improve Korea's image

During the symposium, Kim Yong-uk, media studies professor at Ewha Womans University, gave a presentation on strategies for promoting the image of Korea based on his research.
In order to change foreigners' perception of Korea, Prof. Kim said, it was necessary to figure out what people think of the nation as well as where such perceptions originate.
Until now, promotion of national image abroad has lacked organization and expertise and there has not been a concept to unite various fields, including culture, according to Kim.
Also, Prof. Kim said Korea has to respond promptly and clearly to media reports that portray the nation in a negative light.
But Prof. Kim stressed the need for Korea to move past the symbolic level and begin building relationships with the public abroad. A working model needs to be established and Kim said the nation should look toward countries like Great Britain and Australia, where government and industry work together to promote national image through financial support from the government and corporate sponsorship.
Also, Kim said Japan was a good example of how images of traditional culture were used to boost national image and the economy. It is necessary for Korea to combine traditional cultural images with those of information technology (IT), Prof. Kim said. Woo Sung-hwa, CEO-president of Ticketlink Co., told the panel discussion that the culture industry of a country would serve as an advertisement of a corporate brand of the nation, surpassing the revenues brought about by the culture industry itself. Woo cited that Showgun, a hit film made with an investment of 5 billion yen at the price of the year 1981, contributed to shedding a negative view of Japan. The process of improving Japan's national brand through the culture industry has brought about overall prices of Japanese products and yielded tourism revenues to Japan, Woo said, adding that hallyu, or Korean Cultural Wave, spreading to Asia, has the effect of publicizing the national brand "Korea," and the second and third hallyu need to be created in the whole of the Korean culture, including dramas and pop singers, the roots of the current Korean Wave.
Promotion of the IT industry will show Korea's capabilities as an advanced nation, while its traditional culture will show Korea's dynamic qualities. The combination of the two, however, will help enhance the other's qualities, Prof. Kim said.
Prof. Kim outlined five steps for Korea to promote its national image: identity establishment, image enhancement, issue execution, indirect endorsement and information exchange.
It will be important for Korea to create a cooperative organization to bring together all of the efforts to promote national image abroad, according to Prof. Kim. He also emphasized the need to present a consistent image of Korea, one that is being promoted by various cultural centers and one that is not only limited to culture.
Prof. Kim suggested some ideas to promote national image, such as producing films or dramas that use traditional Korean culture as their backgrounds, utilizing celebrities and internationally recognized athletes in promotional campaigns, distributing regionally specific and clear messages and news releases and developing better relationships with international journalists, including the creation of media centers for their use. nw