What Thailand can learn from South Korea on cultural export for soft power
South Korea's success in promoting its soft power is a result of government support and its “Hallyu” policy of exporting culture, music, entertainment and style, according to discussions among PhD students at NIDA.
Communication Arts and Innovation Management PhD students discussed South Korea's cultural export strategies to help “soft power” generate income for the country and what Thailand can learn from them at a seminar.
The event was held on Sunday at the National Institute of Development Administration (NIDA).
The concept of soft power was defined by Joseph Nye, an American political scientist, as “the ability to get what you want through attraction rather than coercion or payments. It arises from the attractiveness of a country’s culture, political ideals and policies”.
South Korea’s export of pop culture in 2019 generated $12.3 billion and the band BTS alone generated an estimated $3.5 billion, as reported by the Hyundai Research Institute.
The Global Soft Power Index by Brand Finance, a global brand valuation consultancy, ranks each country’s global familiarity, reputation, and influence, paired with seven categories every year.
South Korea ranked No. 12 out of 120 countries in 2022, while Thailand ranked No. 35.
Former South Korean president Kim Dae Jung pushed the policy of “Culture, Creativity and Content” in 1998 to adjust the country's economic model in developing a knowledge-based economy. It marked the beginning of Korean culture and projection of its soft power and commercialisation today, said Natthadet Joseph, ex-DJ of Thailand’s Tofu Pop Radio.
“In 2011, South Korea’s ‘Hallyu’, or Korean Wave, policy outlined a strategy to project the country’s soft power to deliver trade benefits and increase the country's prestige globally,” explained Vinijphat Kanyapong, Movie Phenomenon Facebook page admin.
Hallyu refers to the global popularity of South Korea’s cultural economy through export of K-culture, K-pop music, K-series and movies, and K-style, according to the Observer Research Foundation.
“The culture of combining fried chicken with a beer in South Korea created a globalised trend,” said Punyiga Kajitrabin, screenwriter at Workpoint Entertainment.
The practice started in the K-series, and then people followed this tradition when watching football matches, she added.
“Hosting mega-sports events like two Olympics [1988 Summer Games and 2018 Winter Games] and the Fifa World Cup [2002] boosted South Korea’s tourism and economy, and brought rapid industrialisation, which projected the image of a developed country,” Prompan Changkarndee, secretary of Keela e-Sports Club in Chachoengsao province.
Speaking about the obstacles and limitations in creating Thai soft power, one of the groups said the key is to make it adaptable, measurable, tangible, and understandable.
Another group of PhD students suggested making food Thailand’s soft power, as food is an important element that determines the personality of a country.
Bangkok was ranked 13 on Tripadvisor’s best food destination list last year.
“The agenda of soft power in Thailand is still unclear. We need an emotional attachment to make it work,” said Thanayod Lopattananont, researcher in Asian security and cultural relations, Chulalongkorn University.
