The Soft Power Policy of the Republic of Korea: Geopolitical Opportunities and Consequences
Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: The purpose of the article is to analyze the key aspects of geopolitical opportunities and consequences of the “soft power” policy of the Republic of Korea, being actively implemented by the country in recent decades. The research methodology is based on the principles of historicism, objectivity, and systematicity. General scientific methods (generalization, analysis, synthesis, concretization) and special historical methods (problematic-chronological, historical-genetic, historical-comparative, historical-typological) are used. The scientific novelty lies in the attempt to give an objective assessment of the “soft power” policy of the Republic of Korea, outlining the achievements and prospects for its further implementation based on the analysis of modern foreign historiography and sources, and clarifying the country’s international policy strategy in the context of current geopolitical challenges and transnational threats. Conclusions. The Republic of Korea is one of the countries that attempt to make its values universally accepted through the policy of “soft power” as well as the cultural and intellectual potential of the nation, in which it has achieved serious success in recent decades. It is proved that the “Korean wave” (Hallyu) as part of the soft power approach had a positive impact on encouraging Korean cultural diplomacy. The Republic of Korea has clearly demonstrated the importance of soft resources and is increasing investments in their development every year through systematic national efforts. In the case of South Korea, such large companies as Samsung, Hyundai, and LG have successfully shown that soft power can be linked to the economy. The “Korean Wave” has provided the country with a serious financial resource in various categories, such as animation, broadcasting, cartoons, games, cinema, music and TV series, fashion, and cosmetics. Economic success in one sector has led to improvements in others. The Republic of Korea has offered a new model of what an Asian country could look like in the 21st century: an advanced economy, democratic, technologically innovative, and culturally vibrant. It is with these resources that the country has successfully learned to persuade and “capture” the world.
Source: КОНСЕНСУС
Authors: Тернопільський національний педагогічний університет імені Володимира Гнатюка, Ірина Федорів
Language: English
Subfield: Cultural Studies
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: diamond
OpenAlex ID: W4409239956