Foreign Adviser Urges Lee to Foster National Brand

Foreign Adviser Urges Lee to Foster National Brand
Summary
A prominent economist advised the Korean government to improve its national brand as part of efforts to increase its economic growth. Korea needs to foster national and cultural brands to boost its economic competitiveness globally. Korea lacks a competitive drive in global market, so Korea needs to increase flexibility in the labor market and should adopt higher learning system.

Opinion
I think if Korea wants to get the important position in the competitive world, Korean marketers should make Korean cultural source be global. Koreans tend to do act like western style, this means that we have the wrong concept that western culture is much more than Korean culture. For example, Korean 10s and 20s want to be fashion star like Hollywood star based on Western fashion style. Many Koreans Korean style is past pattern so that Korean cultural brands do not have identity in the world. To improve our national brand, we should have conviction, ‘Korean style is World style’. However, if we persist Korean style unchanged to plant our culture brand into people, we will be failed to target. We should change our cultural sources for foreigners to feel sympathy. For instance, Nanta is from the Korean traditional percussion quartet, but many people in the world can feel Nanta’s bits, rhythm, and Korean’s emotion. We have to focus on the sights of consumers, consumers’ needs and then we must adapt our cultural elements into demands. Trough these processing, Korea can get the positions in the world and we can improve our national brand.
References;Author: Park Hyong-ki Title: Foreign Advise Urges Lee to Foster National BrandKoreatimes. May 14, 2008
http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/nation/2008/5/123_24195.html
20600517 Lee, yong jae #entry-10