SOFT POWER-THE SOUTH KOREAN WAY OF ASCENDANCY

Recently, I came across this YouTube video on Korean skincare industry. Lately, I have been fascinated with skincare and have been doing a lot of research on it. In the video, I came across a terminology that was very alien to me as it might be for you too. Soft power. The Youtuber stated that South Korea uses soft resources. I found it really intriguing so I decided to read a bit about it.

In his book ‘Soft power’, Joseph Nye, an American political scientist, has described soft power as “getting others want the outcomes you want, by co-opting them rather than coercing them”. In his paper ‘A theory of soft power and Korea’s soft power strategy’, Guen Lee from Seoul National University has mentioned that “when soft resources or what we can call as intangible resources are used to exert an influence on others, it is called soft power”.  Soft power influences the thinking process of others. Soft resources can be classified as any intangible asset such as brand, knowledge, skills etc.

When you try to observe the foreign policies of nations around the globe, you might come to find out that majority of the countries try to exert hard power in order to gain international recognition. Hard power incorporates use of coercive policies rather than co-optive policies, such as coercive diplomacy, the forming of military alliances for mutual benefit etc.

Not long ago, a number of countries have started using more co-optive policies. In politics, use of resources such as diplomacy, agenda setting etc are used for exerting soft power. It can be used for strengthening external security and foreign policies to changing the citizens’ predilections. Many countries like China, Japan etc have emphasised on ‘peaceful rising and development’.

But here, the question arises, “Does the mere presence of soft resources exert soft power?”. The answer is, no. A country needs to formulate strategies for it. Resources must be diverted for implementation.

Of all the countries that have tried to use soft resources in their favour, South Korea has been the most successful in doing it. In 1965, it’s GDP was less than that of Ghana. Today, it is the 12th largest economy. The Chinese have coined a term for the Korean wave of soft power called ‘Hallyu’. 

South Korea has successfully modernised and democratized itself in a short span of time. This attracts a lot of investors hence bringing a lot of FDI into South Korea. When Korean bureaucrats visit other nations, they strength their contacts on an international level which in turn helps them to develop strategies. 

In 1990s, South Korea lifted ban on foreign travel hence exploring western world. This gave the country a pool of fresh and highly qualified youth. The Korean wave has secured many lives of Koreans in other countries as they are deemed to be advanced and hence face less discrimination.

Then comes the rise in the popularity of K-pop and K-beauty. In a survey conducted in 17 countries, 37.5% of the respondents felt that K-pop is extremely popular in their countries. In another survey, 42.6% of the respondents said that K-beauty is extremely popular in their countries. In another survey that I had conducted, 66.1% of the respondents agreed to have listened to K-pop songs and 40.7% of respondents agreed to have used a Korean skincare product.

The K-pop industry contributes $5 billion to the country’s economy. This is primarily because K-pop artists are extremely experimental and innovative with their music. Korean skincare industry is a $10.3 billion industry. Anew, 'Korean glass skin' is a beauty standard in many countries. The popularity of these products is primarily because of their harsh free ingredients that hydrate and nourish the skin.

The Koreans also focus attention on branding, R&D and quality of products hence resulting in the massive success of companies like Samsung and LG. 

Finally, South Korea uses soft power to oppose North Korea. What it does is, it influences all the nations across the globe about the North Korean nuclear crisis. The president of South Korea, Moon Jae-in has spoken about it in the UNGA and addressed this issue hence exerting soft power. 

Now, the question arises, “Is it possible for countries to exert soft power only?”. Yes, it is. According to Guen Lee, soft power can be both co-optive and coercive like hard power. This is quite contrary to Joseph Nye’s philosophy. 

Soft power and hard power can co-exist. Countries can use both in order to create maximum impact. But this comes with a lot of responsibility. The use of soft resources is a tricky concept. Sceptics say that soft power is merely the 'velvet glove concealing an iron hand'. While South Korea has been extremely successful in implementing this, it might take a while for other countries to exert soft power.