By Lee Hyo-sik
Nearly six out of 10 foreign visitors and residents here picked the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics and homegrown animation character “Pororo” as the biggest contributor to improving Korea’s image overseas this year, a survey showed Wednesday.
According to a survey of 211 foreigners and 303 Koreans from Oct. 10 to Nov.7 conducted by the Corea Image Communication Institute (CICI), 56.4 percent of foreign respondents said PyeongChang’s successful bid to host the Winter Olympics in 2018 promoted the country’s image the most worldwide.
K-pop came second with 19 percent of foreign visitors and expats here saying that Girls’ Generation and other idol groups have made non-Koreans view the nation more positively.
Shin Kyung-sook, whose novel “Please Look After Mom” has been published around the world, was cited as the third largest promoter with 17.1 percent.
When asked to choose the country’s most influential figure among those under the age of 20, 39.8 percent of foreigners picked Pororo, a popular animation character from “Pororo the Little Penguin,” as their No.1 choice.
Shon Yeon-Jae, a 17-year-old rhythmic gymnast, came in second at 31.8 percent, followed by junior figure skater Kim Hae-jin at 10.9 percent.
More than 42.2 percent of foreign respondents also said in order to globalize “hansik” or traditional Korean cuisine, meals have to be served in an abundant manner as they are here.
“About 30 percent said a meal containing a variety of dishes is hansik’s most distinctive and competitive aspect,” CICI president Choi Jung-wha said.
A nationwide massive movement from cities to rural areas during the two traditional holidays — Lunar New Year and Chuseok — differentiates Koreans most from other nationals, 37 percent of foreign responders said.
Meanwhile, 44 percent of 303 Korean respondents said K-pop has played the most crucial role in boosting the nation’s image overseas, followed by the 2018 PyeongChang Olympics at 40.9 percent.