New index for Korea’s hallyu
The owner of a tteok (Korean rice cake) shop in Ikuno-ku, a ward in Osaka, Japan, smiles for the camera. The town is noted for the large number of Korean-Japanese citizens living there and has become a popular local tourist destination since the hallyu, or Korean wave, began to spread after the 2002 Korea-Japan World Cup. [YONHAP]
This large-scale movement of Korean culture, widely dubbed by the local media as the Korean wave, or hallyu, can now be measured by a so-called “hallyu index,” which was devised by the Culture Ministry, in conjunction with the private Korea Foundation for International Culture Exchange, last week.
“We developed the hallyu index to evaluate the response of overseas consumers to hallyu content,” said Shin Yong-seon, an official at the ministry’s cultural industry policy department. He said the index has given Korea a basis from which it can cater to Korean content consumers abroad with content designed specifically for them.
The index is based on a survey of 800 people from China, Taiwan, Japan and Vietnam and statistics on exports of Korean TV shows, movies, music and games. The survey was conducted only with those who have experienced at least one of the content categories.
In the year 2009, the hallyu had the greatest effect in Japan, which topped the list of countries surveyed with a score of 112, followed by Taiwan at 109, China at 101 and Vietnam at 100.
The survey was conducted only with people in those four countries, but the ministry plans to include more countries in the poll next year.
The ministry noted that the hallyu is estimated to have generated products valued at 4.9 trillion won in 2008, up 1.5 trillion won from the previous year. The 2008 figure is equivalent to the combined price of 240,000 Sonata midsize sedans from Hyundai Motor costing some 20 million won ($12,542). For reference, domestic sales of the Sonata totaled 146,326 last year.
“The hallyu is spreading across the globe, going beyond Asia. While the Korean wave has thus far generated quantitative growth, the top priority for its next leap is qualitative improvement,” said Shin of the Culture Ministry.
In a separate yet related move to promote the world’s 13th-largest economy, Korea’s Presidential Council on National Branding plans to take this year to revamp the national brand. This year is particularly crucial for Korea in that the country is hosting the Group of 20 summit in Seoul in November.
“Our top priorities for this year will be stepping up Official Development Assistance, dispatching volunteers abroad and launching a knowledge sharing program focused on economic development,” said the council in a statement.
At the time of its launch in January 2009, the state-run council unveiled five areas on which it will focus to raise awareness of Korea as a national brand: contribution to international society; promotion of cutting-edge technologies and goods; boosting culture and tourism; embracing multiculturalism and expatriates; and increasing Koreans’ consciousness of themselves as global citizens.
To accomplish its goals in these areas, the council also created 10 action plans, including wider promotion of taekwondo, a traditional Korean martial art.
However, not everyone seems to agree with the Korean government’s approach. Christopher Graves, global CEO of Ogilvy Public Relations Worldwide, said at an international conference titled “Global Korea 2010” last Wednesday that placing taekwondo at the top of the action plan, and thus teaching foreigners the martial art, was “inappropriate.”
“You need to approach [global citizens] with emotion and stories,” he was quoted as saying by the council.
Euh Yoon-dae, the head of the council, said in response that the number of people practicing taekwondo is near 70 million worldwide and it is believed to be a useful way to generate positive sentiment toward Korea among people around the globe.
By Seo Ji-eun [spring@joongang.co.kr]
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
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