Essay Contest Result
International Images of Korea
1. Introduction
I started learning Korean two years ago. During this time, I have self-studied, taken classes at college and used private tutors. When doing an inventory of my old Korean textbooks as preparation for this essay, I realized that I have worked through nine different textbooks from four book publishers (National Institute of Korean Language is one of them). Due to my recent interest in going to Korea for language studies, I have also gone through a large number of internet websites to gain knowledge of Korean society. Based on these international instructional materials my image of Korea is that it is a food loving country, with good public transportation, lots of historical places to explore and great opportunities for studies. Overall a very positive image.2. Proposal
When trying to improve the image of a country globally it is relevant to consider the target group. While working on my proposal I identified two such groups: 1) foreigners with interest in/knowledge of Korean culture and 2) foreigners with limited interest in/noknowledge of Korean culture. I will explain how my proposal will improve the image of Korea for both target groups.The key themes of my proposal are ethnic diversity and non-normative representation of gender.
2-1. Ethnic diversity
Very early on in my Korean studies I noticed a lack of diversity in the study materials. In the nine international textbooks I have used, none of them feature a non-white and non-Asian character. Amongst people belonging to target group 1, which is the target group I am in, Korea is known to be a difficult country to live in as a non-white foreigner. Consequently, some foreigners avoid coming to Korea. An example of this is one of my closest friends. She has had a deep interest in Korean culture for over 15 years. However, she chose not to do her exchange studies at a Korean university simply because she is a black woman. This part of Korea's image needs to change. Not only in order to build on Korea's global reputation but also to attract people to go traveling, studying and working in Korea. The first step towards achieving this is by including more non-white and non-Asian characters in international textbooks. A second step is to increase the non-white representation in photos on international websites. I recently visited studyinkorea.go.kr, which is run by the Korean government. The eader of this website shows a photo of six people, none of which are non-white or nonꠓAsian (see Attachment, Figure 1). An increased ethnic diversity on international websites and in international textbooks will present Korea as an inclusive and modern country that embraces multiculturalism. Ultimately this will attract people from target group 1 to go traveling, studying and living in Korea.
2-2. Non-normative representation of gender
In terms of representation of gender, the textbooks I have used are very normative. This concerns for example occupations and hobbies of the characters in the books. Figure 2A (see Attachment) is one example of the kind of normative gender roles I have detected. This image shows a Korean man working in an office and a Korean housewife. It is worth mentioning that this is the only named female Korean character in this entire textbook. This creates an extremely one-dimensional and old-fashioned image of Korean women, that I know is incorrect. Another example of normative representation of gender, but in terms of clothing, can be seen in both Figure 2A and Figure 2B. These images show men wearing blueclothing or office wear, and women wearing pink clothing. It is also common in international textbooks that the male characters take more initiatives in dialogues than the female characters. This reflects a normative image of gender where men have dominant and activepersonalities, and women have submissive and passive personalities.
In terms of representation of gender, the textbooks I have used are very normative. This concerns for example occupations and hobbies of the characters in the books. Figure 2A (see Attachment) is one example of the kind of normative gender roles I have detected. This image shows a Korean man working in an office and a Korean housewife. It is worth mentioning that this is the only named female Korean character in this entire textbook. This creates an extremely one-dimensional and old-fashioned image of Korean women, that I know is incorrect. Another example of normative representation of gender, but in terms of clothing, can be seen in both Figure 2A and Figure 2B. These images show men wearing blueclothing or office wear, and women wearing pink clothing. It is also common in international textbooks that the male characters take more initiatives in dialogues than the female characters. This reflects a normative image of gender where men have dominant and activepersonalities, and women have submissive and passive personalities.
All my examples of normative images of gender in textbooks are things that could be easily fixed. Increasing the non-normative representation of gender in international textbooks will show that Korea is a conscious, progressive and modern country. This will surely improve Korea's image and attract target group 1 to go to Korea.
2-3. Target group 2
As a person with a huge interest in Korean culture, I frequently receive questions and comments about Korea from people in target group 2. It has become apparent to me that they often do not know the differences between South Korea and North Korea. I have for example been given warnings about studying or travelling in Korea, since it is a dictatorship. I have also been told that I need to help my Korean friends to escape oppression.
In order to improve the global image of Korea, I believe it is important to make it easier for target group 2 to distinguish South Korean and North Korean politics and culture. South Korea needs to be known as a safe, democratic and modern country that values openness andliberty. Showing ethnic diversity and non-normative representation of gender in international instructional materials is one way to work towards this.
But how is target group 2 going to be influenced by changes in materials that they don't read or use? In my opinion target group 1 play an important role in spreading information and knowledge about Korea to target group 2. Therefore, improving the image of Korea for target group 1 will indirectly also improve the image for target group 2. One example of this is me. I belong to target group 1 and most of my friends, family and coworkers belong to target group 2. For the past couple of years their knowledge of Korea has increased a lot. They have told me that since I have been continuously spreading information, as well as correcting incorrect assumptions, their image of Korea has improved.
2-3. Target group 2
As a person with a huge interest in Korean culture, I frequently receive questions and comments about Korea from people in target group 2. It has become apparent to me that they often do not know the differences between South Korea and North Korea. I have for example been given warnings about studying or travelling in Korea, since it is a dictatorship. I have also been told that I need to help my Korean friends to escape oppression.
In order to improve the global image of Korea, I believe it is important to make it easier for target group 2 to distinguish South Korean and North Korean politics and culture. South Korea needs to be known as a safe, democratic and modern country that values openness andliberty. Showing ethnic diversity and non-normative representation of gender in international instructional materials is one way to work towards this.
But how is target group 2 going to be influenced by changes in materials that they don't read or use? In my opinion target group 1 play an important role in spreading information and knowledge about Korea to target group 2. Therefore, improving the image of Korea for target group 1 will indirectly also improve the image for target group 2. One example of this is me. I belong to target group 1 and most of my friends, family and coworkers belong to target group 2. For the past couple of years their knowledge of Korea has increased a lot. They have told me that since I have been continuously spreading information, as well as correcting incorrect assumptions, their image of Korea has improved.
3. Summary
My proposal for improving the image of Korea is focused on ethnic diversity and nonꠓnormative representation of gender. An improved image can be obtained by including nonꠓwhite and non-Asian characters in international textbooks, improve the multicultural representation in photos on international websites, and to give characters in international textbooks non-normative occupations, hobbies, clothing and personality traits. By doing this, Korea will be perceived as an inclusive, conscious and modern country. This will help attract people from target group 1 to go traveling, studying and working in Korea. It will also help people from target 2 to be able to distinguish South Korea from North Korea. In other words, the image of Korea will be improved globally.[Grand Prize]
Susanne Johansson
(Country of Activity : Sweden)
Susanne Johansson
(Country of Activity : Sweden)
