Taekwondo Promotes Image in France
By Kang Shin-who
Staff Reporter
Taekwondo, Korea's national sport and traditional martial art, could be used to promote Korea to France, a country otherwise indifferent to Korean culture, a survey said Sunday.
The Korea Cultural Service France of the Korean Embassy in Paris asked IPSOS, an international research institute, to conduct a survey of 1,000 French citizens aged between 16 and 60 and 400 taekwondo trainees regarding impressions of Korea and Korean people in November and December.
On the occasion of the first taekwondo competition for the Korean ambassador last month in France, the survey showed that 44 percent of 1,000 respondents chose ``no reply'' when asked about their image of Korea and Korean people.
It said only 27 percent of respondents hold a ``favorable impression'' of Korea. Toward Korean people, 39 percent answered they have favorable feelings.
In contrast, 96 percent of the 400 taekwondo trainees answered they had a favorable impression of Korea. As for Korean people, 86 percent said so.
Moreover, more than 80 percent of the French taekwondo trainees replied that they want to visit Korea and learn more about Korea. They said they could learn Korean values such as respect via the sport.
``The survey showed that Taekwondo is contributing very much to boost the image of Korea in France and we need to develop it not as a mere sporting game but as a comprehensive event to promote Korean culture,'' said Cho Il-hwan, Korean Ambassador to France.
Meanwhile, the survey found that most French citizens see Korea as just another Asian country with no relevance to France and often confuse Korean culture with that of China and Japan.
The survey indicated that Korea must promote its country to differentiate itself from other Asian cultures.
When asked about Korean products, most French citizens who've never bought Korean brands held negative views, showing that one third imagines they were of ``low quality'' and another 30 percent regarded them as ``illegal copies.''
However, of those who have bought Korean goods, 57 percent answered that Korean goods have good value for money.