A Study of How to Make Korean Overseas Publicity More Effective

Nam-Chul Huh(Department of Public Administration, Graduate School of Public Administration, Hanyang University, Seoul, Korea.)

A modern society is flooded by such an abundance of information that it is sometimes called a "information-oriented society." The east-west detente, coupled with recent waves of reforms sweeping the Soviet Union and the Eastern Europe, adds to the importance of overseas information service as each nation is called more strongly than ever to promote friendship and solidarity with other countries of world for its own national interest.

This sudden change in international political climate, and the delicate situation on the Korean peninsula gives our government's overseas publicity increasingly more weight than over before, but because of our lack of understanding on the subject, research in this field has been disappointingly poor.

As the world is showing a renewed interest in overseas publicity and the Ministry of Culture and Information is being split into two ministries, the aim of thesis is to serve as an attempt to correct deep-rooted misconception on overseas information service, and at the same time to present research data, review the realities of Korean overseas information and make suggestions to upgrade overseas publicity in the future.

As far as overseas information service is concerned, a study should be focused on its accomplishments on the spot, but circumstances do not allow it. Inevitably this thesis is geared to study how overseas information service is organized, with priority given to the activities of information attaches working at Korean embassies abroad. Therefore this study is cofined to an analysis of key factors of Hovland's persuasive communication such as subject, message, means, target, and effect.

This thesis is based on a study of existing documents and data, mainly the activities of the KOIS since it was inaugurated in 1971.

In conclusion, the following are recommended as ways to improve Korea overseas information service:

1) The government, as the subject of influencing public opinion overseas, should establish an organization which will be able to carry out more neutral and comprehensive survey and research. It also should develop regular long-term programs to train overseas information service personnel. Furthermore it should break from government control and pay more attention to utilization of publicity experts and former information attaches.

2) The government should develop new messages meeting local requirements by switching to cultural sources of Korea from politically-motivated ones, and to two-way exchange of information, as they do in advanced nations, from one-way publicity practices of the past.

3) The government should work out proper ways to diversify the media being utilized and influence public opinion among overseas Korean residents as well as foreign residents in Korea. To enhance the credibility of its information, the government is advised to utilize local media abroad and use more sophisticated scientific equipment.

4) The government should come up with a long-term project to pro-Koreanize young influential people in foreign countries. It also should have a system to study their characteristics, and further work out ways to gain understanding from foreign residents, including students, in Korea.

5) The government should conduct research based on the results of long-term and periodic survey it makes to find how overseas information service is carrying on.

In view of the above-mentioned outcome, what matters most in Korean overseas information service is that the Korean people should become fully aware of the significance of influencing public opinion abroad. The most urgent task is establish a unique Korean theory on overseas information service so that the desired goal can be achieved.