"Hallyu, into the future with the world." This is the theme for the 2011 Korea Nation Branding Convention, which aims to reinforce how the Korean Wave, or Hallyu, connects with the world and how to share a better vision for Korea's future.

China also has big stakes in influencing the situation on the Korean Peninsula.... The two countries also need to strengthen public diplomacy. Anti-China and anti-Korea sentiments still linger. South Koreans need to treat Chinese well in Korea. Maltreatment of Chinese workers and students here has often been the source of their less-friendly sentiments on South Korea.

“The Sunshine Policy had been the most effective tool that influenced North Korea. All the changes in North Korea we see now are the results of the Sunshine Policy, including marketization, consumerism and increased dependency on external input,”...

The two cities reached an agreement for arts and cultural cooperation and exchange in December 2009. Last May, Seoul invited a team of Cia-Cia traditional performers to a local festival. It is considering hosting Cia-Cia teachers for language training in South Korea.

CPD Blog Contributor and MPD Alumnus (2010) Paul Rockower was recently quoted in The Indianapolis Star on Thai gastrodiplomacy.

A group of senior officials and executives from Abu Dhabi are in town to learn from Korea’s past in fostering rapid industrial growth. Their visit is the second of its kind as part of the Abu Dhabi Senior Officials Learning Journey to Korea program. The first group of officials visited last month.

With roughly 200 Kenyans living in Korea, the ambassador hopes that this initiative will provide an “excellent platform of cultural exchange between Kenyans living here and Koreans.”

A variety of marketing campaigns were launched in international markets. And ambitious tourism projects were proposed, mostly on the premise that "if you build it they will come", but with little real grounding in proper market analysis and solid business projections, and with an unrealistic view of capital injection.