Pandemic Models and Image Management: South Korea’s Public Diplomacy and Nation Branding in the Context of the COVID-19 Pandemic

Abstract

While the world has seen pandemics in the past only few could have predicted the impact a new rapidly spreading pathogen would have on our lives. Since the beginning of 2019, the COVID-19 pandemic has altered societies across the globe, causing countries to close their borders, limit domestic movement and impose a variety of other restrictions, both on individuals and businesses. During the early months of the pandemic decisionmakers and medical professionals around the world were looking for the best practices to contain the spread of the virus. Frequent updates on successful cases and failures were reported by the international media and the outcomes keenly observed by the rest of the world. Amidst the search and constant flow of information, certain national governments came out with manuals and overviews on their approach on pandemic management. This was especially the case with the countries that had been relatively successful in their containment efforts. One of such countries was South Korea, which had managed to keep the domestic infection rates low while maintaining a relatively open society. Consequently, South Korea shared details on its methods through various platforms. This study argues that South Korea, much like other countries, framed both the pandemic and its solutions in a way that aided the promotion of its own model. Furthermore, the pandemic management-related communication was not conveyed to simply share operational details. Rather, it was simultaneously employed to further existing goals related to the management and elevation of Korea’s national image, namely its existing nation branding and public diplomacy efforts, as well as economic aspirations. To support this hypothesis, this study analyses a variety of documents produced by the Korean government, primarily during the first full year of the pandemic in 2020.