Tourism, a buttress of the economy upon which an estimated 15 million people depend, remains in a tailspin. Desperate to reverse the trend, the tourism authority even test-marketed the uprising.

The single most important requisite to Korea’s success in attracting foreign investors is nation branding, pure and simple. The planet serves as a global display case.

Minister Mari Elka Pangestu said on Wednesday that Indonesia had a clear blueprint for developing its creative economy, promising that there would be no overlapping authorities... “The benefit of a creative economy is that we will elevate the nation’s branding and create more jobs.”

Nation branding is an increasingly important and influential field of theory and practice which attempts to measure a country's reputation and provide guidance on a country's image management around the world.

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.

As a burgeoning, boisterous democracy and a growing economic power with a tradition of nonalignment, India has tremendous assets that can be put to work in its public diplomacy; but it should re-orient its strategy to reach out to the world in a way that leverages its strengths and national values rather than simply inviting other nations to sample its rich culture and diversity.

Hallyu or the Korean Wave, which refers to the fast-growing popularity of Korean entertainment and culture through TV dramas, movies, pop music and food around the world, particularly in Japan, China and Southeast Asia, could be a valuable soft-power asset to improve better understanding of Korea and its national brand value.