Comparative studies of South Korea's and Japan's nation branding

Abstract

This thesis provides a comparative examination of nation branding strategies used by Japan and South Korea. Nation branding is a concept derived from consumer product branding, referring to the development of a nation-brand identity to improve a nation’s reputation and image for global audiences. It has its origins in concepts such as public diplomacy, but reaches beyond these origins to incorporate a multidisciplinary and multifaceted set of commercial, cultural, artistic, and scientific images. Japan was an early leader in nation branding, building on image and reputation enhancement activities. South Korea followed the example of Japan with the establishment of the Presidential Council on Nation Branding in 2009. The approaches and strategies used did vary between the two countries. Although South Korea based its program similar to Japan’s nation branding, it focused more broadly on content marketing through the hallyu or Korean wave strategy. The comparative analysis showed that the programs were similarly successful, and today both Japan and South Korea are highly ranked internationally on nation branding indices. The study’s implication for developing countries is nation branding strategies can improve global image and reputation.