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Essay Contest Result

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Inconvenience Jeopardizes South Korea's Online Image Internationally

Introduction

South Korea is one of the world's most convenient countries. As of 2020, South Korea has the world's fastest internet connectivity at 28.6 Mbits/s, which is four times faster than the world average. For millions of cellphone, tablet, and computer users, this translates to conveniently faster access to the internet, social networking sites, and games. Downloads that would take upwards of fifteen to twenty minutes are now completed in mere seconds.

Moreover, Incheon International Airport (ICN), considered the world's best airport, eliminates the inconvenience of going to the airport and creates a worthwhile experience. Sitting at forty-nine (49) kilometers from downtown Seoul, ICN is conveniently accessed by bus, taxi, and subway. It embodies Korea in its plethora of services that are offered expeditiously and conveniently in its two terminals, including self-check-in, self-baggage-drop, and automated immigration services, which utilizes the advanced technology that South Korea is internationally renowned for. ICN also offers a variety of reasonably-priced restaurants, a hotel, a spa, art exhibitions, and live performances. All of these services are conveniently available within the airport.

E-commerce in South Korea is also very impressive. The likes of Coupang, Gmarket, and 11st Street offer same-day delivery. From water to diapers, any household product or amenity can be ordered via mobile phone and reach your home before you return home. Moreover, food delivery offerings in South Korea has expanded to include sushi, barbecue, and other delicacies that were traditionally served in a brick and mortar restaurant. While in other countries, food delivery has only expanded because of the COVID-19 pandemic, South Korea has changed the way the average person consumes their nourishment since well over a decade ago. Different types of cuisines can now reach the average table without ever inconveniencing the customer.

However, this begs the question: if South Korea is so convenient, why do many travelers find this country so hard to navigate? The answer is simple. Convenience comes at a cost: you must speak the language. While a minority of websites, like the one for Incheon Airport, are well-prepared to address the need of the international traveler and non-Korean-speaking resident, a majority of websites are not. For non-Korean-speakers, what should be a relatively easy experience, such as a buying a ticket for a performance at the Sejong Center for the Performing Arts or researching about a festival on VisitKorea, becomes a nightmare. English language website options and offerings are of inferior quality while Korean language editions of websites and information are generally far superior, user-friendly, and stylish.

Furthermore, when it comes to sharing and accessing tourist information in English, South Korea needs to do better. A country that invests millions of dollars into learning the English language has a hard time communicating in English. This translates to difficulty for both non-Korean-speaking residents and tourists alike. If you are unable to communicate in Korean, you miss out on different opportunities and experiences that make this nation great. I will illustrate my opinion using two examples that illustrate these failures and one example that serves as a model for others to follow.

Sejong Center for the Performing Arts

Let's begin by looking at the Sejong Center for the Performing Arts, which is an excellent example of how inconvenient access to information can be in South Korea. If you access the Korean language website, you see a completely different homepage to the English language site. For example, in the Korean language website, you have access to news related to the center, information about local facilities, a calendar of events, ticket sales, an online store, and pop-ups that highlight the current exhibitions and performances. The English language website is limited to dated information, seating charts, a map of where the center is in relation to Gwanghwamun Square, a YouTube channel, and telephone reservations.

The Sejong Center for the Performing Arts is a premiere institution in Seoul and the largest arts and cultural complex in the greater Seoul metropolitan area. It showcases international programs. It also has the potential of attracting an international crowd. Currently, because it fails to upgrade its English language, the website is not user-friendly, easy to use, or convenient to non-Korean-speakers.
Sejong Center for the Performing Arts website

Visit Korea

Our second example is the VisitKorea website, which does a better job of being more inclusive. The VisitKorea website is available in Japanese, Chinese, French, Spanish, German, Russian, Thai, Indonesian, Vietnamese, Arabic, and English. However, the interfaces vary differently by language and the stark contrast begs the question who the target audience of VisitKorea is. If the goal is to expand domestic tourism, VisitKorea has done an exceptional job marketing the country to its citizens. However, if the goal is to bring in more tourists from abroad, it misses the mark completely.

When comparing the Korean language and English language versions of the sites you are met with two different interfaces once again. The Korean language website is a sleek design that divides the country by both province and metropolitan city. By clicking on Seoul, for example, you are given tabs labelled after its different districts. By clicking on Gangnam-gu, for example, you can access local information related to that ward of Seoul. Moreover, the calendar of events is organized by months and highlights local festivities nationwide. Further along, you see the colorful logos that allow access to different organizations, downloadable information, and access to VistitKorea's different social networking sites.
Visit Korea website
The English language website, by comparison, is a hodgepodge of information. The website is very distasteful and it forces the user to have to look for information as opposed to the seamless presentation of the Korean language interface. Moreover, in the English language version, egregious regional bias is present in the Region Search category as only Seoul, Jeju, and western provinces are clickable when accessing more information. Chungcheong and Jeolla provinces are left out. Highlighting places that most tourists visit is inappropriate. South Korea has a rich history that is not limited to one side of the country.
Visit Korea website

Incheon Airport

Our final example, the website for the Incheon Airport, is a perfect instance of how to provide information in multiple languages without sacrificing intent, target, or, most importantly, information. Whether the information is in English or Korean, the Incheon Airport site has managed to amalgamate precision, accuracy, and design into a user-friendly experience that makes accessing information about the airport an easy task regardless of language. Whether it is looking for a map, where to shop and dine, information about departures, arrivals, and transfers, the website offers the information in both languages the same. It is a convenient and timely experience that serves as a perfect model to replicate by other companies and brands that hope to draw more international visitors to their portals.
Incheon Airport website

Conclusion

South Korea has a strong enough economy that tourism is not a vital source of national revenue. However, if South Korea hopes to improve its image and diversify the international travelers that visit the country, it must learn to communicate in English much more proficiently and accurately and make access to information much more convenient. There are many ways to do so. For example:

① Hire English-speaking foreigners residing in the country to edit the content that you hope to display. South Korea has thousands of English-speaking residents nationwide with degrees from different fields to choose from. If hired, many can provide edition and consultation where needed.

② Learn from countries who utilize English as part of their tourism strategy. Singapore and Hong Kong are countries that, like South Korea, do not depend exclusively on tourism. However, the tourism boards of those countries are proficient enough in various languages to offer assistance and consultation when needed.

③ Standardize the translation of the Korean language. If all other suggestions are unfeasible, at least, standardizing translations of the Korean language would help. For example, instead of having multiple translation of 한라산 (i.e. Hallasan, Halla Mountain, Mt. Halla, Halla-san, etc.), choose one and set it as a national stand. The same can apply for all Korean words that often have no set translation.

In conclusion, it is important to remember that before planning a trip anywhere, most tourists use the internet to access information. The first image that anyone accesses is the online image of a given country. If South Korea manages to create an attractive internet presence, it will succeed in showcasing to the world what a marvelous, breathtaking, and unique place it truly is. By making the online experience, a convenient, user-friendly, and fair experience, South Korea can make itself more accessible than ever before.

[Grand Prize]
Roger Rolando Reyes

(Country of Activity : America)

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