This article starts its examination on the public diplomacy since its inception, and developments in the Cold War era and ensuing globalization. The writer purports to illustrate the case of France, the trade mark nation of culture and art, in using i...
This article starts its examination on the public diplomacy since its inception, and developments in the Cold War era and ensuing globalization. The writer purports to illustrate the case of France, the trade mark nation of culture and art, in using its cultural influence as a unique tool in the area of public diplomacy. It is true that while the Soviet Union in the 1920s, the United States after 1945, and China in recent years have all emphasized cultural influence as a growth engine, However, France is unique in conducting the cultural diplomacy, in its own way to strengthen its external influence at a time when its national power was relatively declining.
It is to be noted that public diplomacy of a given nation can be executed at a level both universal and specific. At the same time it is a common phenomenon that public diplomacy and soft power have become means of enhancing national competitiveness since the 1960s and 1980s. Yet the timing and methods of applying them vary depending on the given conditions of the country. In particular, France has introduced a new concept of “influence diplomacy” to revive French culture, thus cultural diplomacy, which is obviously different from that of the United States. In terms of the national wealth, or of national competitiveness, France has declined compared to the past, and has made its own efforts to promote the cultural industry by reorganizing a network of specialized organizations centered on the Institut Français. On this point the new French model gives rise to an emerging approach deserving a close appraisal in Korea.
The Korean government officially declared 2010 as the “Year of Public Diplomacy”, setting out its 3 pillars as ‘political diplomacy, economic diplomacy, and public diplomacy. 6 years henceforth saw to it enactment of the Public Diplomacy Act of 2016. This year, in 2023, the Second Basic Plan for Public Diplomacy will be launched, so while the discussion on public diplomacy is short, Korea's image in the eyes of the world is higher than ever, as evidenced by the National Brand Index, among others. “cultural content powerhouse” is the word rightly dubbed to indicate solidifying trend toward culture. As a result the present paper examines the concept and development of public diplomacy and cultural diplomacy, especially in comparative perspectives with the Franco-Korean diplomatic practices.