By Na Jeong-ju
Staff Reporter
The Lee Myung-bak administration plans to replace the logos of ministries with an overarching design and common theme in an effort to address the confusion of national images abroad.
The new logos may adopt Korea's national flower, the Rose of Sharon, the national flag or the Korean Peninsula, according to sources.
The government is also working closely with foreign experts to create a new slogan that can better represent Korea's potential and characteristics, replacing "Dynamic Korea" and "Korea, Sparkling."
Euh Yoon-dae, chairman of the Presidential Council on Nation Branding (PCNB), proposed such measures in a report to President Lee Myung-bak, Wednesday. The council was launched in January at Lee's instruction to polish Korea's image abroad and upgrade its international status.
Each ministry and local governments have their own unique logos, but they lack a unified look and concept. They are considered confusing to foreigners and even to Koreans, according to the council.
"Advanced countries like France and the United Kingdom use the same symbol and design for the logos of their government agencies," Euh said. "We also need to integrate confusing logos in an effort to promote government identity."
The brand slogans of Dynamic Korea and Korea Sparkling, adopted in 2002 and 2007 during the liberal governments to appeal to foreign investors and tourists, may be history too.
Korea needs a better catchphrase because existing ones have failed to produce the desired effects, said Euh, a former president at Korea University.
For instance, a survey of 4,000 people in 16 countries, conducted by the Korea National Tourism Organization in late 2008, showed only 25 percent thought Korea Sparkling mirrors Korea's image, while 23 percent said the slogan was good for promoting the country as a tourist destination.
During a meeting with lawmakers last month, Euh said Korea Sparkling reminds people of "sparkling mineral water" so it is inappropriate to keep it.
A source at the council said some of the shared ideas for the new slogan include "Miraculous Korea" to epitomize the country's rapid economic growth from the ashes of the 1950-53 Korean War and "Advanced Technology & Design Korea" to represent its technological prowess.
Korea's Own Brand Index
Euh also said the council has jointly developed a brand index with Samsung Economic Research Institute (SERI) to evaluate brand values of major countries around the world. The index, tentatively named PCNB-SERI Brand Index, will be published annually beginning November.
The move reflects a lack of trust among policymakers here in the Anholt-GfK Nation Brand Index, which has been one of the most widely accepted measurements here of a country's brand power. Korea's ranking stood at 33rd among 50 surveyed nations last year, falling from 32nd in 2007, 27th in 2006 and 25th in 2005.
President Lee once said it was incomprehensible and shameful that Korea, the world's 15th largest economy, ranked so low.
Policymakers here have complained that Korea, associated with the negative image of North Korea, doesn't get due treatment overseas despite its economic growth and technological edge.
jj@koreatimes.co.kr
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