Soft Power: South Korea's Cultural Strength and the International Wine Market

06 November 2024
Tenute News

Our business experience has taught us that to successfully enter an international market, it is crucial to know, understand and integrate within it. We do not limit ourselves to superficial marketing strategies, such as buying followers or a quick sale without further interaction. Instead, Tenute d'Italia promotes an approach that focuses on information and cultural value.  This is why we saw the need to explore the concept of soft power in a series of three articles.

In this article we explore a perhaps still little-known but increasingly influential reality: South Korea's Soft Power . This concept refers to a country's ability to exert global influence through culture, media and the arts, rather than economic or military force. Coined by political scientist Joseph Nye of the Harvard Kennedy School, South Korean soft power has developed through several phases that have radically transformed Korea's image worldwide.

The First Wave: The origins of korean soft power

In the early 1990s, during Kim Young-sam's presidency, the Korean government decided to focus on pop culture as a new ‘export industry’. In 1994, the Ministry of Culture created a special office to support mass media projects. This marked the beginning of a successful and forward-looking strategy, known as the ‘first wave’ of South Korean soft power.

In 1998, President Kim Dae Jung - referred to as the ‘Culture President’ - implemented a law to promote the domestic cultural industry, allocating over USD 148 million to finance culture and entertainment projects. This investment, which has grown over the years, has helped transform Korea into a global benchmark for pop culture.

From Country to Brand: The second wave of korean soft power

In recent years, South Korea has gone from being a country to being a cultural brand. Social media and streaming platforms have amplified Korean soft power. The secret of the success of the ‘K-factor’ lies in the care with which music (such as BTS ), films, TV series (the famous K-dramas, such as Squid Game), food and beauty products (pioneering skin care products) are produced. As the Guardian reported, ‘the world has fallen in love with all things South Korean’.

This second wave of soft power has not only consolidated South Korea's presence in the global collective imagination, but has also created the basis for a third wave. What can we expect in the future? Some experts predict that the Korean language will also become increasingly widespread and popular, breaking down cultural barriers with new generations of enthusiasts.

Soft Power and the Wine Market: What can italian wineries learn?

But how does all this relate to the wine sector? Let's find out together in the next article.

 

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