By Michael Ha
Staff Reporter
For many foreign nationals, it's not Korean culture or history, but rather Samsung's latest electronic products that define Korea.
A new survey shows that top corporate brands including Samsung and LG Electronics have become the dominant images that shape how other countries understand Korea.
The survey asked 139 foreign ``opinion leaders'' including diplomats, journalists, academics and businesspeople who have visited Korea or are currently staying in the country.
The Corea Image Communication Institute, a Seoul-based organization that aims to promote positive images of Korea overseas, conducted the poll this month.
When asked about Korea's best-known image, nearly half of all respondents picked indigenous corporate brands such as Samsung and LG, and Korea's Information Technology business. Another well-known image associated with Korea was the North Korea issue. More than 26 percent of those polled said Korea was ``best known" for the continuing nuclear standoff between the South and North.
``We conducted a similar survey in 2003. Back then, the dominant factor that shaped Korea's image was North Korea,'' observed the institute's president, Choi Jung-wha.
She noted that back in 2003, ``North Korean nuclear proliferation was major news. In this year's new survey, however, foreign opinion leaders picked leading corporate brands and Korea's IT business as the country's best-known, dominant image, by a wide margin.''
Choi explained that Korea's advanced electronic products, especially the latest, high-tech cell-phones, have made a positive impression overseas. ``It's really surprising that for many foreign nationals, the Samsung brand is now the first image they think of when they think of Korea. The Samsung image equals the Korean image.''
Nearly 10 percent of respondents also said the Korean martial art taekwondo was Korea's dominant image. Korean foods and the popular culture, called ``hallyu,'' were each chosen by more than 5 percent of respondents.
Another survey question asked what they thought would be Korea's best, most-appealing feature before visiting the country. More than 40 percent choose the Korean culture, including traditional foods and cultural activities; a quarter said the Korean people and their collective energy; while more than 10 percent said Korea's cutting-edge IT sector.
The survey also suggests the need for localized public relations efforts tailored for different regions of the world. For China and Japan as well as Europe, Korea's popular culture including its movies could be used as an effective marketing tool, according to respondents, whereas traditional Korean foods are popular in Southeast Asian countries.
michaelha@koreatimes.co.kr
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