Lessons can be learned from ROK exporting its cultural products

A still of Korean drama "Descendants of the Sun". [Photo/IC]

Song Jong-Ki, the pop star from the Republic of Korea who recently won fame in China with his performance in the TV series Descendants of the Sun, was invited to be an ambassador for the country's tourism industry at an event in Beijing on Monday. Guangzhou Daily commented on Thursday:

That the ROK's tourism authorities have invited Song to endorse their annual promotional event, makes perfect sense, given his rising popularity especially among many Chinese female fans.

Some Chinese cities have made similar attempts to improve their image, such as inviting famous TV celebrities to shoot promotional advertisements and promote them via various media outlets at home and abroad.

But they still have much to learn from the ROK, which is very good at exporting cultural products to China. For example, an increasing number of Chinese youngsters have shown great interest in the neighboring country's tourist attractions, traditional handicrafts, and fashion.

Statistics show that an increase of $100 in the ROK's cultural exports can accordingly increase the exports of IT products and clothes by about $395 and $35 respectively. This, to a point, shows that selling homemade TV series (like the one Song is in) to overseas markets not only benefits the ROK entertainment companies, but also injects momentum into other parts of the country's economy.

Seoul's successful national branding is not a surprise, as it has sought to develop its soft power since 1998. To lure more overseas residents to watch Korean TV dramas and movies, the ROK's cultural authorities established several departments to support domestic productions with favorable policies and subsidies.

In comparison, China only seems to have outperformed the ROK in the quantity, not quality, of TV series and films. Although they do well at the box office at home, most Chinese-made movies are still struggling to "go out" and impress foreign audiences as a whole. To enhance China's cultural exports requires more supportive efforts from governments at all levels and ingenuity of TV-series and movie makers.