Critics say little has been done to protect young talent after actress Jang Ja-yeon's 2009 suicide and her details of sexual abuse roiled the TV, film and music industries.

Han and Kim have been among the busiest troubleshooters of the Seoul-Beijing relationship in 2010, frequently shuttling between the two capital cities to talk with Chinese academics, security experts, and government officials, about pending bilateral issues such as the sinking of the frigate Cheonan and North Korea’s shelling of Yeonpyeong Island, among others.

Since Korea’s success began as an entertainment exporter in the late 1990s, its music, television dramas, movies and video games have become popular among young people across Asia, a phenomenon often known as “Hallyu” or the Korean Wave.

Amid the changing diplomatic landscape in the second decade of the 21st century, ambassadors and chiefs of foreign missions are increasingly requested to wear many hats. They are asked to redefine their roles to be responsible for directing and coordinating all human and diplomatic capital in their countries, going beyond their traditional role of mainly managing bilateral ties.

At the end of May, it was announced that a South Korean band called Super Junior would perform at the Shanghai World Expo. Free tickets would be released for those who arrived early on the day of the performance, which was scheduled for the evening of May 30.

The recent conclusion of negotiations on a free trade agreement (FTA) between the United States and South Korea was heralded in domestic and international media as an important step forward for both nation-states’ economies.

China has dominated South Korea’s foreign relations in the 21st century. Redefining the nation’s relationship with China, which is growing in power and its assertiveness in relation to its economic might, poses as the biggest conundrum for government officials on the diplomatic scene. South Korea relies heavily on the Chinese market to run its economy.

It happens every first Sunday. A line snakes inside the lobby and spills outside the doors of the Doongsoong Presybeterian Church in Hyewah, Seoul. Expats and natives congregate for a curious cultural exchange as the Heritage Mass Choir prepares to spread the gospel with a foot-stomping, hands-waving-in-the-air-like-you-just-don’t-care side-to-side swagger.