"The difference between cool Korea and earlier Asian pop culture waves is that Korea has been working to make this happen for almost two decades. Korea is cool because it decided to be cool — it's the first country in history that has made being cool a massive policy priority, backed by the Korean government to the tune of billions of dollars."

“Saudi Arabia has been a riddle wrapped in an enigma available to view only in the abyss of the world stage. To the rest of the world we are a very big question mark,” Hafez explains, meaning the world is eager to know this country beyond the stereotypes generated by 9/11 and as the “oil capital of the globe.” According to him, the first way to discover a country is by looking at its cultural elements – literature, poetry, cinema, TV, and paintings. 

For me it's simple: sport is one of the universal languages which connect people and cultures. Whether it's maths, music, science, the arts - or, increasingly these days, English - humanity has many universal languages, which can bring people together whatever their differences.

From “Gangnam Style” and competitive electronic sports to kimchi-flavoured pot noodles, South Korea’s cultural exports are eagerly consumed around the world.  Filipinos are hooked on its dramas. The French love its pop music and its films. Last year South Korea raked in $5 billion from its pop-culture exports.

The Scotland-Russia Forum is calling on Britain and Russia not to let short-term political disputes endanger cultural links between the two nations. Writing in the latest edition of its newsletter, the Consul General of the Russian Federation in Edinburgh - where the annual festival is under way - said: "The richer the culture – the easier it is to punish".

Sinology conferences are usually lacklustre affairs where scholars talk about anything from burial rituals in the Han dynasty to Tang poetry. However, a recent European sinology conference in Portugal has turned into a completely scandalous event thanks to some Chinese officials.