In addition, and in his “lame duck” year, Lee Myung-bak isn’t well positioned to pursue multilateral diplomacy beneficial to Japanese-Russian relations, especially given the hardening of South Korean opinion against Japan over historical themes.

The competition, supported by Korea’s Ministry of Culture, Korean Culture and Information Service and the Presidential Council on Nation Branding, is expected to be held annually with the increasing popularity of Korean pop music and culture throughout the world.

The program is designed to introduce Indian audiences to various dances including intangible cultural assets. Korea has a unique cultural heritage listing system for recognizing intangible skills that have been passed on through the generations, such as “Salpuri”and “Seungmu.”

A second batch of South Korean water engineers will leave for Libya later this month to help the war-torn nation restore its water supply services...."Rather than focusing on post-war reconstruction projects, it is time for us to do 'public diplomacy' to win the hearts of Libyan people."

t the convention another hot topic that was discussed was the diffusion of South Korean culture throughout Asia...and the growing popularity of Korean entertainment and culture. Korean dramas and pop music have grown quite popular among the youth in the region and abroad.

Following a strong rebound of key industry sectors like building and construction and IT after the 2008 financial crisis Korea’s economy asserted itself as having a stable and adaptable foundation leading to a positive nod by the IMF... This is undoubtedly a boost to the nation branding effort.

For us, public diplomacy is very much an instrument of soft power. We seek to inform and engage people in our countries, but also far beyond. We are fully aware of some of the stereotypes about NATO that still drive public perceptions in some countries.

Forty years after a week of table tennis exhibition matches helped restore relations between the United States and China, Ping Pong Diplomacy is making a comeback at a table tennis tournament in Qatar.