South Korea pivots to the Middle East, selling both weapons and K-pop cool



Analysis South Korea pivots to the Middle East, selling both weapons and K-pop cool Saudi Arabia looks to Korea as it seeks to diversify away from oil, but human rights issues may limit cooperation John LeeJuly 18, 2022 SHARE COPY LINK FACEBOOK X LINKEDIN MASTODON The Riyadh skyline in Feb. 2018 \| Image: Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0) South Korea’s internationally lauded movies, popular TV shows and the global phenomenon known as K-pop have all helped to radically transform the way people think about the country, going beyond just cool to become a leader in soft power. Its success has drawn the attention of other world leaders, including — in what is something of a head-scratcher — Saudi Arabia. Saudi Culture Minister Prince Bader bin Abdullah bin Farhan visited Seoul in early June, and after holding talks with South Korean Culture Minister Park Bo-gyoon, he also met with the leaders of CJENM and SM Entertainment— two © Korea Risk Group. All rights reserved. No part of this content may be reproduced, distributed, or used for commercial purposes without prior written permission from Korea Risk Group. LATEST ANALYSIS 01South Korea’s won faces a new test as foreign bond buying loses momentum 02Trump’s Russian diesel deal may leave South Korea’s refining boom intact 03Trump’s Alaska LNG claim shows who really runs the US-South Korea alliance 04South Korea’s missile defense push raises new questions over wartime stocks 05South Korea bank hacks expose weak links beyond core financial systems 06Lee-Zelensky feud exposes South Korea’s widening Ukraine policy dilemma 07Lee Jae Myung’s ‘pacemaker’ strategy tests South Korea’s leverage with Trump 08Trump’s Korea investment victory lap masks safeguards Seoul still controls

Analysis

South Korea pivots to the Middle East, selling both weapons and K-pop cool

Saudi Arabia looks to Korea as it seeks to diversify away from oil, but human rights issues may limit cooperation

John LeeJuly 18, 2022

South Korea pivots to the Middle East, selling both weapons and K-pop cool

The Riyadh skyline in Feb. 2018 | Image: Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)

South Korea’s internationally lauded movies, popular TV shows and the global phenomenon known as K-pop have all helped to radically transform the way people think about the country, going beyond just cool to become a leader in soft power. Its success has drawn the attention of other world leaders, including — in what is something of a head-scratcher — Saudi Arabia.

Saudi Culture Minister Prince Bader bin Abdullah bin Farhan visited Seoul in early June, and after holding talks with South Korean Culture Minister Park Bo-gyoon, he also met with the leaders of CJENM and SM Entertainment— two

LATEST ANALYSIS

01South Korea’s won faces a new test as foreign bond buying loses momentum
02Trump’s Russian diesel deal may leave South Korea’s refining boom intact
03Trump’s Alaska LNG claim shows who really runs the US-South Korea alliance
04South Korea’s missile defense push raises new questions over wartime stocks
05South Korea bank hacks expose weak links beyond core financial systems
06Lee-Zelensky feud exposes South Korea’s widening Ukraine policy dilemma
07Lee Jae Myung’s ‘pacemaker’ strategy tests South Korea’s leverage with Trump
08Trump’s Korea investment victory lap masks safeguards Seoul still controls

South Korea pivots to the Middle East, selling both weapons and K-pop cool

LATEST ANALYSIS

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John Lee