Hope in bridging the perception gap between young adults of Asean and Korea

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Hope in bridging the perception gap between young adults of Asean and Korea

Published: 01 May. 2023, 19:19 Updated: 01 May. 2023, 22:55

Kim Hae-yong, secretary-general of the ASEAN-Korea Centre, fourth from right; Gandi Sulistiyanto, ambassador of Indonesia to Korea, fourth from left; and experts and students of Asean and Korea join a forum hosted by the center in Seoul on Friday. [PARK SANG-MOON]

Increasingly lodged between the push and pull of the United States and China, the young people in Asean are looking for more neutrality in their partners, the ASEAN-Korea Centre found recently in its survey of young adults in the region.

"We've seen the news on the U.S.-China trade war," one Bruneian young adult told the center in its survey published last week. "In this sense, we don't want these superpowers to have a strong influence on Asean countries. That's why I believe countries like Brunei have to put their eggs in different baskets rather than relying on just one."

The center interviewed 127 young adults aged between 19 and 34 from the Asean member states of whom 20 were residing in Korea, about their perceptions of Korea.

They were part of some 2,300 young adults from Asean surveyed by the center earlier, who ranked Korea the most trusted partner, more than the United States, China, Japan and Australia. The 127 were interviewed as a focus group.

"The perception that they hold neutral political interest for one another contributed to the high level of trust," said Kim Hae-yong, secretary-general of the ASEAN-Korea Centre, in presenting the recent findings at a conference at the Press Center in Seoul on Friday.

Young Koreans interviewed by the center also showed wariness to economic retaliations from partners in the region, examples of which they had seen particularly in recent years as China retaliated on the U.S.-led anti-missile system's installation in Korea as well as by Japan after diplomatic spats regarding the forced labor issue.

But a closer look into how young adults of Asean and Korea identified each other showed an imbalance in perceptions, the center found.

Asean and Korea portrayed in the media
The young adults of Asean interviewed by the center illustrated a more varied understanding of Korea and Korean society compared to the view of Asean member states by the young adults of Korea.

When asked to select words that first come to mind when they think of Korea, Asean young adults noted K-pop, K-drama, fashion, skincare products, plastic surgery as well as specific travel spots such as Myeongdong and Nami Island. They could even name some food and drinks such as kimchi, soju, instant noodles and K-BBQ.

On the other hand, Korean young adults associated Asean member states with words such as travel, vacation spot, blue ocean, and Hallyu fans. They also described these countries using the words poor and cheap labor.

These images were likely fed by the types of information coming from media outlets and social media platforms about Korea and Asean, said some panelists at the forum, "Roundtable Discussions on the Results of the Survey on Mutual Perceptions of Asean and Korean Youths" hosted by the center in Seoul on Friday.

"The media in Korea, traditionally, has been showing a one-sided face of Asean," said Kim Ju-hee, a graduate student at Sogang University majoring in Southeast Asian studies. "On a day to day basis, what we see about Asean on TV has mostly been about foreign workers and multicultural families."

These images, Kim said, may lead the viewers to associate Asean with social problems rather than as attractive soft powers and cultural assets of the region.

Amirah Aziyah Hasdy, a Bruneian graduate student studying law at the Sungkyunkwan University in Seoul, said she came to associate Korea with K-pop and K-drama because this type of information in the media first drew her attention about the country.

"My earliest experiences about Korea were through dramas such as 'Gung [Princess Hours]' or 'Jumong'," said Hasdy, speaking at the forum. "Then came the Hallyu wave, where I naturally started to develop interest in Korea through its entertainment."

Media representatives from some Asean member states and Korea present at the forum remained optimistic of the role the media and the entertainment sector could do to help balance these perceptions.

"Perhaps at first glance, it appears Korean content is exported more to Asean member states than the other way around," said Cheong Chul-gun, CEO of the Korea JoongAng Daily. "But on Netflix alone, there are more than 40 Thai films."

Korean dramas and movies reproduced in Asean countries have also been successful, like "Go Go Sisters," the Vietnamese remake of the Korean movie "Sunny," which became the fifth best-selling film in Vietnam when released in March 2018.

"On OTT platforms, the asymmetry in perceptions between Korea and Asean countries may slowly begin to become equal," Cheong said.

Candid exchanges
Exchange programs, regardless of their duration, may be one of the surer solutions to help address this perception gap, according to the survey's results.

The Global Korea Scholarship, a national scholarship scheme for foreign students in Korea, has been supporting some 1,400 students annually, for nearly seven decades.

As many as 24 percent of the 10,000 alums of the program were from Asean member states.

"Being awarded the Global Korea Scholarship in 2021 has changed my life, and at the same time it has also changed my perception about Korea," said Justin Van Rivera, a student from the Philippines, speaking at the forum. "When I came here in 2021, I could see the 'Cinderella story' of how Korea went from an aid recipient to now helping others. With the high-quality education we receive in Korea, many of us intend to carry on what we learned back to our home countries in order to bring positive changes within our own societies."

Kim, who had studied in Vietnam for two years from 2019, said that the experience changed her perspective on the country completely.

"Sure, when I first arrived, I saw differences more than similarities, from the simplest things like road conditions," Kim said. "But then I got to know the people and that's when things changed. Now when I think of Vietnam, I am reminded of how young and vibrant its society is."

Some of the exchange program participants would go on to represent Asean in Korea or become an expert on Korean studies, like Hoo Chiew Ping, senior lecturer in Strategic Studies and International Relations at the National University of Malaysia.

"I want to thank the Korea Foundation, whose research grant when I was a student in Korea enabled me to become one of the Korean specialists in the Southeast Asian region," Hoo said at the forum on Friday.

Hoo and other experts at the forum also suggested working with influencers on social media platforms to address the discrepancy in perspectives between Asean and Korean young adults.

"Maybe finding an influencer in Korea or a Korean MC to go to various Asean countries and report short segments on one or two topics, could catch the attention of the younger generation. This could be a potential project," said Ahmad Fahmi, minister counselor of the Malaysian Embassy in Korea.

Economics and demographics
The growing geopolitical tension in the region is expected to bring the Asean and Korean young adults closer, the center concluded in its recent report.

"Considering Korea's high trade dependency on its neighboring countries, including China, Korean young adults shared that it would be necessary for Korea to further expand partnerships such as with Asean," the center said.

Asean is already Korea's top-second export destination, following exports to China.

Suggested remedies largely focus on how younger generations consume information about each other online.

Demographic factors are also expected to play a part.

Aware of the rapidly aging society in Korea and consistently increasing low birthrate, the young adults from Asean expressed expectations that "there can be a potential opportunity for Asean countries and Korea to establish a 'win-win synergy' by offering human capital to Korea," said the center in its report.

"The fact they don't see each other as threats may make relations between Asean member states and Korea the first of its kind," said Yoon Jin-pyo, professor of political science and diplomacy at Sungshin Women's University. "That's a great place to start."

BY ESTHER CHUNG [chung.juhee@joongang.co.kr]