KOREA FOUNDATION

Since your recent appointment, you must be extremely busy these days. At this time, would you mind sharing your thoughts on your new position and what you have been focusing on?

As public diplomacy is becoming increasingly important, the Korean government is strengthening its public diplomacy policy initiatives on various levels. Since being appointed, I’ve noticed that the Korean public is also becoming more aware of the necessity of public diplomacy. Going beyond cultural and knowledge-based approaches, the office of ambassador for public diplomacy was established to take on a greater range of duties, including coordination with private institutions. In my opinion, my most important mission is to reinforce long-term public diplomacy capability and expand our international networks. Starting from various MOFA departments and including relevant outside organizations and even the private sector, I am trying to find ways to expand and enhance our network cooperation.

What are some of the factors behind the growing importance of public diplomacy in Korea and worldwide as well?

To go beyond conventional diplomacy, which occurs between government organizations, our main objective as diplomats is to appeal directly to the emotions of a country’s people. It’s a new perspective that’s referred to as “soft power,” and the United States has greatly expanded its interest in redefining its diplomatic strategies since the 9/11 tragedy. The Korean people also believe that now is the time to pursue public diplomacy efforts that can help to forge a positive global image of Korea, having realized that the international community`s perceptions of Korea has not met their expectations.

How would you compare the public diplomacy of Korea to that of other major world powers?

Recent data released by various international organizations indicate that Korea’s soft power is somewhat lacking, when compared to our hard power. Compared to physical strengths, such as economic influence or military power, our ability to appeal to people’s hearts and minds, whether through culture and the arts or academic endeavors, has been found to be insufficient. Being intangible, soft power is difficult to assess, but elevating it to match our hard power is the most urgent priority in our public diplomacy policy. In addition to expanding affiliated organizations, manpower resources, and budget support, we are working on introducing public diplomacy legislation to further enhance our operative foundation. My travels around the world have taught me that Korea’s cultural heritage is of great value, and that talented Koreans are being recognized everywhere these days. Awareness of public diplomacy in Korea may be behind that of the United States, Japan, and various countries throughout Europe, but I believe we can amplify our national merits to achieve meaningful results.

You mentioned public diplomacy legislation that will take effect this August. What changes do you expect thereafter?

We’ve been undertaking various diplomatic initiatives in conjunction with governments, private organizations, and individual citizens before the concept of public diplomacy took root. This kind of cooperation, however, has proved to be rather insufficient. Thus, we are calling for a more integrative and systematic infrastructure to advance our public diplomacy. The new legislation puts the Foreign Minister in charge of a public diplomacy committee, which will comprise not only government agencies but also local government representatives and private experts who will help to draft long-term blueprints and yearly strategic initiatives. Additionally, we will establish systematic links between the central administrative authorities, local governments, and overseas embassies to install a more effective and structured public diplomacy mechanism.

As Korea’s public diplomacy ambassador, we’re curious to hear your thoughts about the KF’s activities and its future role.

For the past 25 years, the KF has advanced the field of Korean Studies, built various partnerships in public diplomacy, facilitated cultural exchange, engaged in media promotion, and led a variety of initiatives, as a public diplomacy institution. Through such efforts, it has increased international awareness of Korea and upgraded our status in the global community. The KF’s experience and resume will serve as valuable resources for future public diplomacy policy initiatives. Furthermore, as the new legislation designates the KF as the country’s sole institute to promote public diplomacy, the Foundation’s role will be expanded and gain added clout. By occupying such a central role in our new system, I hope the KF grows into a world-class advocate of public diplomacy that can well represent our country’s interests.

What is the role of the Korean people in public diplomacy, and what plans do you have to encourage greater participation from the average citizen?

As globalization and digitalization trends continue to advance, the power of the masses will continue to increase. It is therefore important for institutes of public diplomacy to garner public support and talent, and so we’re currently expanding projects that recruit citizen participation. Whether it’s through public contests or via private diplomacy organizations of varying stature, we’re getting more and more people actively involved. Most important of all, however, is every individual’s awareness of public diplomacy and his or her conviction in converting such awareness into action. It’s also important for Koreans to continue to being successful overseas. Furthermore, as foreign population increases in Korea, it’s vital that everyday citizens help forge a positive image of their country – as a public diplomacy initiative that costs little and involves everyone. We at MOFA hope that every Korean sees himself or herself as a facilitator of public diplomacy who can help to elevate Korea’s global standing, and we will cooperate with the Korean people to expand upon efforts to better serve our national interests.

Written by Kim Moonyoung