{"id":2197562,"date":"2022-07-18T19:24:25","date_gmt":"2022-07-18T10:24:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nknews.org\/pro\/?p=2197562"},"modified":"2023-04-05T16:12:09","modified_gmt":"2023-04-05T07:12:09","slug":"south-korea-pivots-to-the-middle-east-selling-both-weapons-and-k-pop-cool","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/2022\/07\/south-korea-pivots-to-the-middle-east-selling-both-weapons-and-k-pop-cool\/","title":{"rendered":"South Korea pivots to the Middle East, selling both weapons and K-pop cool"},"content":{"rendered":"
South Korea’s internationally lauded <\/span>movies<\/span><\/a>, popular <\/span>TV shows<\/span><\/a> and the global phenomenon known as <\/span>K-pop<\/span><\/a> have all helped to <\/span>radically transform<\/span><\/a> the way people think about the country, going beyond just <\/span>cool<\/span><\/a> to become a leader in soft power. Its success has drawn the attention of other world leaders, including \u2014 in what is something of a head-scratcher \u2014 Saudi Arabia.<\/span><\/p>\n Saudi Culture Minister Prince Bader bin Abdullah bin Farhan visited Seoul in early June, and after <\/span>holding talks<\/span><\/a> with South Korean Culture Minister Park Bo-gyoon, he also met with the leaders of <\/span>CJENM<\/span><\/a> and <\/span>SM Entertainment<\/span><\/a> \u2014 two of South Korea\u2019s biggest culture-exporting companies.<\/span><\/p>\n The prince\u2019s goals were to expand cooperation in the film and music industries and cultural events and promote joint productions in the entertainment industry. Part of Saudi Arabia\u2019s <\/span>Vision 2030<\/span><\/a> \u2014 a strategy to reduce the country\u2019s dependence on oil, diversify its economy and export a \u201csofter\u201d image of the Kingdom \u2014 is to expand its entertainment industry.<\/span><\/p>\n Although the pandemic may have slowed down Vision 2030, the culture minister\u2019s two-day visit to South Korea indicates that Vision 2030 is back on track.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n