On March 17th, 2021, the GW Institute of Korea Studies (GWIKS) hosted a panel discussion on Korean Soft Power Influence in Southeast Asia. This panel features three eminent Korean experts- Kamon Butsaban, Faculty of Arts at Chulalongkorn University, Duy Tan La, Lecturer in the University of Social Science and Humanities-Vietnam National University, and Hiền Nguyễn Thị, Professor of Korean Studies at the Vietnam National University. The event discussant was Shawn McHale, Associate Professor of History and International Affairs and the moderator was Gregg A. Branzinsky, Professor of History and International Affairs and Deputy Directors of GWIKS.
The panel was started by Prof. Thị’s talk about the history of literature exchange between Vietnam and Korea. She stated that since 1990 there has been an increase of Korean centers in Vietnam due to the influence of the Korean Wave (Hallyu) from drama to K-Pop. The second panelist, Prof. Butsaban, discussed the impact of the Korean Wave in Thailand. He stated that the friendship between Thailand and Korea started during the Korean War and diplomatic relations started in 1958. The third panelist Professor La presented about Korea’s soft power in Vietnam. He stated that during the first Korean wave Korean drama and films were introduced and during the second phase of the Korean wave, the Vietnamese people were exposed to Korean culture such as K-pop. Professor McHale commented about the complexity of the Korea-Southeast Asia relationships. Following the presentations, the moderator moved onto a Q&A session. The audience submitted a wide range of questions, including how other Southeast Asian countries can learn from Thailand about developing cultural exchanges, the South Korean troops who fought in Vietnam, and areas that Korea needs improvement such as politics, entertainment, education, etc.
