1. The “Presentation of the Results of the 2013 Survey on Korea’s Image in Major Countries,” hosted by the Foreign Ministry and sponsored by Dong-A Ilbo, took place at the Korea Press Center on July 25. It brought together about 150 people, including those from academia, the media and related organizations, as well as the general public.

2. In his opening speech, Vice Minister Cho Tae-yul stressed the ROK needs to break the stereotype and prejudice people around the world have that Korean culture is a mere imitation of Chinese or Japanese cultures. In this regard, highlighting the need to promote Korea’s image as a dignified culturally-rich country across the world, the Vice Minister requested the Korean people’s active participation in public diplomacy activities.

3. Samjong KPMG, a consulting firm which conducted the survey, released a report, in which it pointed out that Korea’s national image index is at a modest level (3.03 out of 5) and about 30.2 percent of respondents could not easily distinguish between South and North Korea. The report mainly argued that to improve Korea's national image, diplomatic activities targeted towards people in foreign countries are urgently needed. Director-General for Cultural Affairs Kim Dong-gi announced plans that the Foreign Ministry will develop strategies of each ROK diplomatic mission overseas to enhance Korea’s image based on the survey results, conduct surveys in more countries, and follow up on survey results.

4. At a panel discussion held after the presentation, participants assessed the results of the latest survey and discussed public diplomacy strategies to improve Korea’s image.

5. The survey report will be made public through the Foreign Ministry’s official website and the Policy Research Information Service & Management system (PRISM). 


                              Spokesperson and Deputy Minister for Public Relations of MOFA

*unofficial translation