By Park Si-soo
Staff Reporter

Candlelit protests against U.S. beef imports that lasted for the past three months have significantly affected the image of Korea, a survey of foreigners in Korea said.

The Corea Image Communication Institute (CICI) surveyed 307 opinion leaders in Korea, including 104 foreigners engaging in diplomacy, business and education, between July 21 and 25.

To the question of factors affecting Korea's image, 65.3 percent of the respondents picked protests against the resumption of U.S. beef imports, followed by Japan's recent claim to Dokdo with 14.4 percent. Trailing them was the shooting incident at North Korea's Mt. Geumgang tourist resort in which North Korean soldiers killed a South Korean housewife with 13.56 percent.

``We did not mention the incidents had affected Korea's image in negative or positive ways. But the interesting thing is the first three factors the two groups pointed out are the same,'' Prof. Choi Jung-wha at Hankuk University of Foreign Studies and president of CICI told The Korea Times. ``We need to study how the survey results can be utilized in improving Korea's image overseas.''

The beef row ranked first by all respondents including those coming from countries whose beef is not yet exported to Korea.

The result was similar in the survey of Korean respondents, most of who were engaged in the fields of business, education, journalism, and public services.

More than 70 percent of the Korean respondents selected the months-long fray fueled by U.S. beef imports as a forefront factor that changed the image of their home country, followed by the shooting incident in the North with 14.56 percent and Tokyo's claim to the islets in the East Sea with 11.65 percent.

In the meantime, foreign respondents stressed the Korean government should seek diplomatic ways to solve repeated disputes between Seoul and Tokyo over Dokdo sovereignty.

pss@koreatimes.co.kr