New CPD Perspectives: South Korea's Public Diplomacy Law

The first issue of CPD Perspectives on Public Diplomacy this year is an essay by Kwang-jin Choi, former head of the Center for People Diplomacy in the Republic of Korea’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

"The Republic of Korea’s Public Diplomacy Strategy: History and Current Status" provides rich context for South Korea's history of image-making with foreign nations, from the 1950s war-recovery era, to the decade of sports diplomacy during the end of the Cold War, through the post-2000s rise of Hallyu: global popularity of Korean culture. Then, Choi dives deep into the 2016 passage of the Public Diplomacy Act, which states, "the tools of public diplomacy, listed as culture, knowledge and policy, are to be used to enhance foreign audience understanding of and trust in South Korea.”

“Now is the time to prepare for the post-PyeongChang era,” writes Choi. “By building on past achievements and reinforcing the existing legal, financial and organizational infrastructures the future of Korean PD is indeed bright.”

Download "The Republic of Korea’s Public Diplomacy Strategy: History and Current Status" here.