By Jane Han
NEW YORK ― Koreans who've been abroad have probably, at one on point or another, come across an odd situation where the statement ''I'm from Korea'' immediately triggers the question ''North or South?''
Pure ignorance, some may think, but the reality is that a lot of people who couldn't care less about the peninsula in the Far East can't quite tell the difference between the two sides.
''Remember the former East and West Germany?'' says John Silver, a New York-based image specialist. ''How many people can identify right off the bat which one was communist?''
''Simply put, people surprisingly don't know much about the world outside of where they live,'' he said.
For South Korea, the common confusion doesn't exactly work to its advantage, especially during times like now when the nuclear neighbor is continuing to unleash an almost daily string of dramatic threats.
Believe it or not, many people are actually mixing up which Korea is which.
''I believe that the confusion will never go away unless either North Korea or South Korea decides to change their name to something else,'' says Kang Woo-sung, a Korea branding expert who spearheaded numerous campaigns to raise awareness of Korea in the U.S.
He said North Korea's latest actions hurt Korea's image as a whole, both short-term and long-term, by reinforcing the association.
''The more the general public hears the news, the stronger the degree of reinforcement it will be, especially outside the metro area where people have less contact with the Korean community,'' said Kang.
He took the public's apparent confusion over singer Psy's nationality as an example.
In a YouTube clip that has so far gathered more than 2 million views, an angry American boy blasts Psy and his hit song ''Gangnam Style,'' falsely believing that the singer is from North Korea.
He claims that the popular song is being used as North Korea's propaganda tool to ''brainwash'' Americans.
''This is problematic because many people still can't differentiate between North Korea and South Korea,'' stressed Kang.
Companies such as Samsung and Hyundai, and recognized foods like bibimbap and kimchi help prop up Korea's image, but the so-called Kim Jong-un factor seems to be impactful enough to wash out the positives.
''Not everyone knows Samsung is Korean. But everyone knows Kim Jong-un is Korean,'' says Min Hyong-ki, 36, a software engineer who works in New York. ''The Kim family is the first thing that people connect Korea with. I hear it all the time from colleagues, friends and random people. The Kims definitely helped raise Korea's awareness. Too bad it's in a negative way.''
Kim Sook-kyung, who owns a dry cleaner in New Jersey, says, ''It's baffling to see how so many people still ask which part of Korea I'm from, I get the same question all the time from customers. Sometimes I just say that I'm from the North to see their reaction.''
Silver, the image specialist, says highly covered news like Pyongyang's nuclear standoff isn't something anyone can prevent, so the best solution is to introduce long-term promotional efforts.
''If image is something South Korea is concerned about, then it should actively advertise to clarify the country's identity,'' he said. ''This may sound unnecessary and ridiculous to some people, but that's the reality.''
Kang agrees, saying that PR activities are the best possible alternative to convey a positive image. But here's the catch: it's going to take a long time.
''For a company brand with a poor reputation, it is thought to take at least two generations to cancel out the image,'' he said. ''This is how difficult it is to change people's deeply-rooted perceptions.''
NEW YORK ― Koreans who've been abroad have probably, at one on point or another, come across an odd situation where the statement ''I'm from Korea'' immediately triggers the question ''North or South?''
Pure ignorance, some may think, but the reality is that a lot of people who couldn't care less about the peninsula in the Far East can't quite tell the difference between the two sides.
''Remember the former East and West Germany?'' says John Silver, a New York-based image specialist. ''How many people can identify right off the bat which one was communist?''
''Simply put, people surprisingly don't know much about the world outside of where they live,'' he said.
For South Korea, the common confusion doesn't exactly work to its advantage, especially during times like now when the nuclear neighbor is continuing to unleash an almost daily string of dramatic threats.
Believe it or not, many people are actually mixing up which Korea is which.
''I believe that the confusion will never go away unless either North Korea or South Korea decides to change their name to something else,'' says Kang Woo-sung, a Korea branding expert who spearheaded numerous campaigns to raise awareness of Korea in the U.S.
He said North Korea's latest actions hurt Korea's image as a whole, both short-term and long-term, by reinforcing the association.
''The more the general public hears the news, the stronger the degree of reinforcement it will be, especially outside the metro area where people have less contact with the Korean community,'' said Kang.
He took the public's apparent confusion over singer Psy's nationality as an example.
In a YouTube clip that has so far gathered more than 2 million views, an angry American boy blasts Psy and his hit song ''Gangnam Style,'' falsely believing that the singer is from North Korea.
He claims that the popular song is being used as North Korea's propaganda tool to ''brainwash'' Americans.
''This is problematic because many people still can't differentiate between North Korea and South Korea,'' stressed Kang.
Companies such as Samsung and Hyundai, and recognized foods like bibimbap and kimchi help prop up Korea's image, but the so-called Kim Jong-un factor seems to be impactful enough to wash out the positives.
''Not everyone knows Samsung is Korean. But everyone knows Kim Jong-un is Korean,'' says Min Hyong-ki, 36, a software engineer who works in New York. ''The Kim family is the first thing that people connect Korea with. I hear it all the time from colleagues, friends and random people. The Kims definitely helped raise Korea's awareness. Too bad it's in a negative way.''
Kim Sook-kyung, who owns a dry cleaner in New Jersey, says, ''It's baffling to see how so many people still ask which part of Korea I'm from, I get the same question all the time from customers. Sometimes I just say that I'm from the North to see their reaction.''
Silver, the image specialist, says highly covered news like Pyongyang's nuclear standoff isn't something anyone can prevent, so the best solution is to introduce long-term promotional efforts.
''If image is something South Korea is concerned about, then it should actively advertise to clarify the country's identity,'' he said. ''This may sound unnecessary and ridiculous to some people, but that's the reality.''
Kang agrees, saying that PR activities are the best possible alternative to convey a positive image. But here's the catch: it's going to take a long time.
''For a company brand with a poor reputation, it is thought to take at least two generations to cancel out the image,'' he said. ''This is how difficult it is to change people's deeply-rooted perceptions.''
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