[Opinion] Diplomacy through arts and books
A few months ago, a group of South Korean K-pop stars performed in front of the North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, inducing excitement in every news outlet, both domestic and international. What was such a big deal about it?
For those who are wondering, this event was significant in several ways. First, it was the first time since 2005 that the two Koreas held a joint performance. Second, it served as an antipasto before the main course—the first summit between the two Koreas in more than a decade as well as the future meeting between Kim and President Trump in May. Lastly, it marked the first sign of spring since the chilling tension that peaked right before the Pyeongchang Olympics—or as Kim described it: “spring of peace.”
When we speak of diplomacy, it’s easy to constrain ourselves within the images of some serious table talks, missiles, and public condemnations. These are all tools used by the official diplomatic channels, such as the executive branch, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, or the parliament, in order to exercise influence in international relations. Because we focus so much on these means of diplomacy, we tend to overlook the significance of the non-official measures, like art and culture.
Indeed, scholars have recognized the importance of these tools. Professor Joseph Nye of Harvard University coined the term “soft power,” which refers to a non-coercive power that shapes preferences of people through attraction. The effects of soft power are deeply entrenched in our lives and society—think of how French wine, Disney movies, and Harry Potter have led you to acquire positive impressions on France, the United States, or the United Kingdom. In fact, according to the soft power rankings done by USC Center on Public Diplomacy, these three countries ranked the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place among 30 countries, respectively.
Nonetheless, government branches often exercise soft power in order to build relations with other countries with which they do not have long and faithful diplomatic relations.
Other than the K-pop performance in North Korea mentioned earlier, take the Korea-Egypt normalization in the mid-1990s. Since North Korea assisted Egypt’s victory in Yom Kippur War in 1973, Kim Il-Sung and Mubarak had maintained a close and firm relationship, which kept Egypt away from normalizing its relations with South Korea. Since the official diplomatic channel was unavailable, the Korean Consulate General in Egypt had to take a leeway.
In his interview with the Korea National Diplomatic Academy, the former Ambassador Chung Tae-Ik reveals that, in order to promote friendly atmosphere between Korea and Egypt, the Consulate General actively sponsored cultural activities. For instance, it hosted art exhibitions, art performances, and food fair. These events were so extensive and conspicuous that even al-Haram, the biggest daily newspaper in the region, mistakenly reported that South Korea was celebrating Korea-Egypt normalization.
Not only that, the Consulate also organized a fashion show with Andre Kim, one of the most renowned Korean fashion designers at the time. In order to draw a positive reaction from Susan Mubarak, the institution donated all of the profit from fashion show to a children’s foundation run by the First Lady. As a result of such diplomatic efforts, Korea and Egypt began their formal diplomatic relations in 1995.
If someone thinks watching models in artistic garments and toasting champagne in the after-party doesn’t mean much, then that person is definitely undermining the coercive powers hidden underneath. At least, in Egypt, Andre Kim’s fashion show worked. And clearly, the Korean government knows the importance of such strategic tools. It constantly hosts and sponsors cultural events with foreign governments and delegations as guests.
But don’t be surprised, because this also applies to the realm of literature. In 2016, the Ministry of Culture, Sport, and Tourism hosted a literary event at the Research Institute of Iran’s Cultural Heritage, Handicraft and Tourism Organization. The event, titled “An Encounter between the Poetry of Iran and Korea,” showcased numerous poets from Korea and Iran, such as Kim Huran, Shin Dalja, Fatemeh Rakel, and Mohammad Ali Bahmani.
The meeting between poets from the two countries expanded to a long-term literary project between South Korea and Iran. At the end of 2016, Literature Translation Institute of Korea launched a cross-publishing project by signing an MOU with Hozeh Honari Art Center in Iran. In 2017, the institution translated and published a collection of Iran’s poetry, while a collection of modern Korean poetry was published in Iran. With the success of its first cross-publishing project, the institution signed more MOUs with Netherlands, Indonesia, and Georgia, in order to promote Korean literature in these countries and introduce literature from unfamiliar countries to Korean readers.
Literature may not be the main course in diplomacy, yet it can serve as a great crossing-bridge between two countries. In fact, there would be no successful table talks or summits without an adequate understanding of one another’s culture. After all, what would be a course meal like without its antipasto?
Kyu Eun Kim is an Editor of Korean Literature Now magazine (https://koreanliteraturenow.com). She likes a miscellaneous array of things, including books, tea, art, and bourbon. She can be reached at kyueunkim10@gmail.com.