Many of those who saw the photo left comments, mostly favorable to the unusual activity by the diplomat from the world’s strongest nation.
“Awesome!” a comment read. “I saw another photo of her riding a bicycle as part of her journey around the country. I can see she loves Korea, which is quite impressive.”
This was the latest in the U.S. ambassador’s activities in line with a “public diplomacy” mission and experts here claim that this is the direction that Korean diplomats should follow to help bolster the country’s diplomatic clout.
Public diplomacy, a term coined in the 1960s, is the conduct of a wide range of non-diplomatic activities by diplomats or activists for the purpose of spreading a positive image of their country in a target nation.
“The influence of public diplomacy is getting more significant,” said Lee Sook-jong, president the East Asia Institute, a think tank on diplomatic policies, in a Wednesday forum, co-hosted by the Korea Foundation and Rep. Shin Nak-kyun of the main opposition Democratic Party. “The government should establish a control tower that would systematically push it forward.”
She underscored that major countries, including the United States and China, have put greater emphasis on public diplomacy to widely spread favorable public sentiment in a particular host nation.
“The government is not the only beneficiary from public diplomacy. It will have a positive impact on business and the private sector,” she said. For instance, Lee said, the Chinese government is aggressively opening education centers at American universities to promote its language, history and culture.
She said these centers will help alleviate antagonism towards China among U.S. citizens which results from the American media’s portrayal of the world’s second largest economic power as anti-human rights and anti-democracy.
Lee Shin-wha, a political science professor from Korea University, claimed the significance of diplomatic activities is based on cultural assets. She said it will help enhance the country’s diplomatic competitiveness by making up for its relatively weak “hard” power.
She cited North Korea’s provocations and inconsistent approach to the six-party disarmament talks as a major culprit that interrupts South Korea’s efforts to promote the nation’s image and brand value globally.
In agreement, Shin Jong-ho, a senior diplomacy researcher, called on the government to enact a law supporting cultural diplomacy.