Majority of Koreans expect G20 summit to boost Korea’s brand power

By Kim Da-ye

More than half of Koreans expect the G20 Seoul Summit to boost the value of the national brand, a survey showed Monday.

The Nielsen Company Korea, a global information and media company, surveyed 1,000 residents online in five metropolitan cities, 82.5 percent of who replied that they know Seoul will host the financial summit.

Leaders from the 20 largest economies will gather in the capital on Nov. 11 and 12 to help the global economy get in better shape.

The research showed that more than 52 percent of those surveyed believe the G20 summit will improve the value of the national brand while 13.6 percent expect the event to help Korea form a global network and 13.4 percent hoped it will raise the added-value of the Korean economy.

About one in of every 10 respondents said they do not expect any impact on Korea from the global event.

The majority of those surveyed or 61.1 percent regarded the summit as important with 14.7 percent saying it was “very important” while those saying it was not important accounted for about 8.6 percent.

“Even until two months ago, it was said the public didn’t know much about the G20 Seoul Summit. But as D-Day approaches, the public are paying increasingly more attention and are aware of its historic meaning,” said Song Kyung-jin, special advisor to the Presidential Committee for the G20 Summit Chairman Sakong Il, adding that the committee has received many queries in relation to volunteering.

Song also said that a senior foreign reporter’s tone switched from being skeptical more than a year ago to positive about Korea hosting the international event after the last weekend’s ministerial summit.

It has been generally believed that the Korean public won’t be as interested in the financial meeting as in other international events such as the Olympic Games or even the Formula One Korean Grand Prix that was held on Sunday in Yeongam, South Jeolla Province.

But the survey shows that their view doesn’t greatly differ from those of domestic leaders. In a recent interview with The Korea Times, Financial Services Commission Chairman Chin Dong-soo said that history would remember this fall’s meetings, helping Korea to become a legitimate developed economy.

Sakong also commented that the successful hosting of the meeting will boost the country’s international reputation and strengthen its national brand.