Committee seeks to win Seoul's "rightful" place in world

By Byun Duk-kun
SEOUL, Jan. 22 (Yonhap) -- South Korea launched a new national committee Thursday
to try to improve the country's international image that it says is not
commensurate with it's ranking as the world's 13th largest economy.
The number one aim of the new committee, tentatively named the Presidential
Committee on National Brand, is to shed the image of what is often referred to as
the "Korea Discount," which conjures up images of cheap or sub-quality products
long associated with the country and its exports.
"The country's brand image being undervalued is a serious issue that must be
solved immediately if we are to be paid in full for what our products are really
worth," committee chairman Euh Yoon-dae said.
The 64-year-old said the committee will work with the private sector to find ways
agreeable to all those involved.
The committee consists of 16 government ministers or officials from related
offices and 31 civilian members that include public relations experts from
private businesses.
"As seen in other countries' cases, efforts to improve national image becomes
most effective when supported by the private sector," said Euh, a former
president of Seoul's Korea University, the alma mater of President Lee Myung-bak.
According to a report by the Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency, better
known as KOTRA, the country was valued at less than 30 percent of its gross
domestic product (GDP) in 2007 while the United States was viewed to be worth 143
percent of its total GDP and Japan 224 percent.
"This means a product made in Korea that is identical in every aspect to a
product made in the U.S. is valued at only 66 to 67 percent of the U.S. product,"
KOTRA said in the report.
President Lee last week also noted that Korea, as a brand name, is known less
than even some of the country's own private businesses, such as Samsung or
Hyundai.
bdk@yna.co.kr
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