YPFP Brussels would like to invite you to our next event on how South Korea uses “Hallyu” to leverage influence on the world organised together with Polis180, a Berlin think tank, and Sigma, a European think tank.
You will have the opportunity to discuss the secret behind South Korea’s soft power with two distinguished experts: Prof. Ramon Pacheco Pardo and Dr. Lin Goethals. South Korea is one of the only countries globally with a dedicated goal to become the world's leading exporter of pop culture, as evidenced by the inclusion of Hallyu in the public diplomacy strategy presented in 2017. As tensions with North Korea rise, South Korea’s position as one of the major democracies in Asia, as well as the recent election of a China-skeptical presidential candidate, threaten to put pressure on relations with the Chinese Communist Party in Beijing. More than ever, soft power and cultural diplomacy are needed. Democratic partners in Asia are therefore of crucial importance to the European Union in this geopolitical chess game.
In light of these developments, the discussion will explore how South Korea has leveraged her soft power to exacerbate her cultural influence globally. In addition, we will examine both the regional and global implications of the election of Conservative president Yoon Suk-yeol, as well as what this means for the future of South Korean-EU relations.
Prof. Ramon Pacheco Pardo currently holds the position of KF-VUB Korea Chair at the Centre for Security, Diplomacy and Strategy (CSDS) of the Brussels School of Governance (BSoG-VUB).
Dr. Lin Goethals serves as Director at the European Institute for Asian Studies (EIAS).
This in-person event will take place at Scott's Bar in Brussels, on the Mezzanine floor. For more details please contact Jonas Nitschke or Bassem Chakroun, Programmes Officers.