By Kang Hyun-kyung
Staff Reporter
A group of 30 lawmakers called for the creation of a presidential design committee Thursday to help strengthen the country's competitiveness.
The lawmakers are scheduled to submit a bill to the National Assembly soon to join a ``soft power'' initiative, Rep. Nam Kyung-pil of the governing Grand National Party (GNP) said.
``Many governments have begun taking an interest in cultivating culture and cultural products in an attempt to make their countries more competitive,'' he said.
Nam is an architect of a bill to give the national and local governments a mandate to produce guidelines for a consistent nationwide design policy.
Under the measure, the government would create the presidential committee to oversee national design policy and to coordinate local government policy.
If the bill is passed, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism must map out the mid-term national design strategy and assess its performance every five years.
Local governments are required to produce a tailored design policy that represents the unique characteristics of their cities and provinces.
With the move, lawmakers are seeking to foster a campaign for Korea's soft power, which Harvard University Professor Joseph S. Nye Jr. defined as the ``ability to get what you want through attraction rather than coercion or payment.''
In July, Nye said in an interview with The Korea Times that ``governments can pursue policies that attract others and they can take a number of steps to explain their positions and to promote culture and exchange.''
The government's plan to seek a soft power strategy has become much more visible since President Lee Myung-bak took office in February.
On several occasions, President Lee pledged to establish a presidential committee for the promotion of brand Korea, saying he would upgrade the national reputation so as to strengthen its competitiveness.
Foreign ministry officials are catching up to the elements of soft power. Earlier, the ministry said it would increase international aid and send more volunteers to underdeveloped countries.
The ministry also vowed to increase cultural exchange programs with Middle Eastern countries to build a good working relationship with the oil-rich nations. It also launched the Korea-Arab Society in July.
Following the government's initiative, lawmakers are now jumping on the soft power bandwagon.
Earlier, Rep. Nam told reporters that the design policy, which he had in mind, refers to a set of measures aimed at transforming current public or residential space into aesthetic venues containing cultural elements.
The lawmaker leads the National Assembly's Design Korea Forum, which was created in July. Thirty-two lawmakers and approximately 50 experts outside the Assembly make up the forum.
``Current urban and public spaces are function-oriented, and little consideration was given to aesthetic value. We can help transfer the dull urban environment into a beautiful setting with policy support,'' Nam said.
He said fragmented and one-off space design did a disservice to the overall urban landscape, and now is the time to fix the bad practice.