Brand Korea Faces Challenges From Within Brand Korea Faces Challenges From Within Brand Korea Faces

Challenges From Within Brand Korea Faces Challenges From Within

By Robert J. Dickey
While various government offices in Korea attempt to promote the ``brand" of
Korea, the news has been filled with reports on private entrepreneurs negating
their efforts.
Koreans have been caught once again cheating on major international
exams. Test papers have been stolen for the purpose of being sold to
students taking the same test hours later, or for use in test preparation classes, the net result of
which is the same as when exams like the SAT, GRE, and TOEFL recycle certain questions.
This is not a minor theft to help a friend, but a commercial activity. It has been going on for years
with various players, which is why there have been far fewer TOEFL test dates in Korea than
elsewhere. Less test administration makes for less recycling, and less value in the theft. And of
course, the same has been going on in local exams, but these seldom attract international
attention.
Respect for intellectual property is one of the various issues business consultants raise when
asked about corporate relocations. The local legal system is another important consideration, and
with the Korean judiciary currently under attack from politicians (who have lost all right to claim
moral superiority based on the globally televised physical assaults in the National Assembly) and
the failure of Koreans to recognize a contract as anything more than a list of current hopes and
wishes, it is hard to claim that Korea is a safe place to earn and keep profits.
Saber-rattling by the Ministry of Defense does not encourage foreigners to visit a country still
legally in a state of war. Yet many do come, in part because the economic and cultural appeal is
strong.
Far too many business visitors to Korea leave shaking their heads in despair, and while vacationers
have a great time once any language issues are circumvented, far too many of the longer-term
expatriates see things differently. Those who should be Korea's best promoters, young college
graduates who visit Korea for a year or two before entering graduate school or professional lives,
are departing EPIK or hagwon with horror stories of broken promises and stolen pay.
Let's be clear, there is much to appreciate in Korea. The intangibles, however, are hard to
communicate beyond the nation's borders. And far too many of the specifics are
counterproductive to national brand development.
Perhaps it is time for the Korean judiciary to change. People who break laws and violate contracts
should be punished according to the law, not released with a mild admonishment and without
special consideration for economic or other contributions to society.
When all stand equal before the law the brand of Korea will be more than a laughingstock. Music
and dance do not a brand make.
The writer is an assistant professor at Keimyung University in Daegu. He can be reached
at rjdickey@content-english.org.
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