ADRN

Harvard Professor Joseph Nye, who pioneered the theory of "soft power," will visit Seoul from Feb. 11 to 13 to deliver a lecture and participate in a seminar on his theory, according to the Korea Foundation Thursday.   On Feb. 12, Nye will address "Smart Power and the War on Terror" with 300 audience members at the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Seoul at 10 a.m. and will have a roundtable on soft power and Northeast Asia at the Seoul Plaza Hotel at 2 p.m.   The Korea Foundation and the East Asia Institute invited Nye in order to have an opportunity to seek ways of promoting Korea's public diplomacy through soft power.   Yim Sung-joon, president of the foundation, said, "The 21st century is an era of soft power, which emphasizes culture, knowledge, technology, value sharing and international exchanges. In that sense, Nye's visit would be very meaningful since he is the coiner of the term 'soft power,'" he added.

Joseph Nye

Participants in the roundtable include Barnett Baron, utive vice president of the Asia Foundation; Chu Yun-han, president of the Chiang Ching-kuo Foundation; Vishakha Desai, president of Asia Society; Evans Revere, president of Korea Society; former Foreign Minister Han Seung-joo; and Professor Lee Shin-wha of Korea University.

 

Nye has served as assistant secretary of defense for international security affairs, chair of the National Intelligence Council, and deputy undersecretary of state for security assistance, science and technology.

 

He also served as dean of the Kennedy School of Harvard University.

 

In a book, "Soft Power: The Means to Success in World Politics," Nye defined the soft power as a contrasting concept to hard power.

 

He suggested soft power, which represents cultural influences, would be a successful tool for national interest, along with hard power, such as economic and military capabilities.

 

Recently, he coined "smart power," proposing a balanced combination of the soft and hard powers as crucial in international relations.