{"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

\"\"

Former South Korean President Moon Jae-in in the United Arab Emirates in Jan. 2022 | Image: Moon Jae-in Blue House’s Twitter<\/a><\/p><\/div>\n

DIVERSIFYING TIES<\/b><\/p>\n

While cultural exchanges and joint production of entertainment industries between South Korea and Saudi Arabia might appear odd on the surface, trade statistics show much room for improving business ties.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Moreover, joint production in the entertainment industry and cultural exchanges are merely the start. Outside the petroleum and construction industries, the Middle East is an untapped market for South Korea. Serendipitously, the demand for K-pop is <\/span>blowing up<\/span><\/a> there \u2014 great timing for South Korea and Middle Eastern countries to seek more expansive trade deals.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

According to the Observatory of Economic Complexity (<\/span>OEC<\/span><\/a>), almost 90% of South Korea\u2019s imports from Saudi Arabia were crude petroleum. Similarly, South Korean exports to Saudi Arabia are also not varied, mainly consisting of automobiles and construction equipment.<\/span><\/p>\n

That may be why former President Moon Jae-in signed or helped facilitate several major deals in the region shortly before leaving office this past May. Moon signed a <\/span>$3.5 billion deal<\/span><\/a> to sell Cheongung II mid-range surface-to-air missiles with the United Arab Emirates (UAE). He also attended a <\/span>K-pop concert<\/span><\/a> there, showcasing its growing popularity. Two months later, Saudi Arabia signed an <\/span>$800 million defense deal<\/span><\/a> with South Korea.<\/span><\/p>\n

COPYING KOREAN COOL<\/b><\/p>\n

But it\u2019s unclear whether Riyadh\u2019s state-directed entertainment development will bear fruit. Although South Korea\u2019s entertainment industry was able to start with the aid of <\/span>generous public investments<\/span><\/a>, money alone was insufficient. Many of South Korea\u2019s earlier cultural successes <\/span>were geographically limited<\/span><\/a> or perceived as <\/span>too paternalistic<\/span><\/a> to be viable products in the global marketplace.<\/span><\/p>\n

South Korea\u2019s cultural exports didn’t take off until the South Korean government essentially got out of the way. Of course, cultural popularity is not an exact science. Still, global audiences prefer to consume cultural products not <\/span>tainted by bureaucratic oversight<\/span><\/a> \u2014 Psy\u2019s <\/span>sudden and inexplicable<\/span><\/a> popularity with Gangnam Style a decade ago is an excellent example of this.<\/span><\/p>\n

And where women are among the foremost torchbearers for South Korean films, music and television abroad, it\u2019s difficult to imagine that ever being the case in Saudi Arabia. The Saudi government only granted women the right to drive <\/span>in 2018<\/span><\/a>. It finally allowed women to travel without requiring a male guardian <\/span>in 2019<\/span><\/a>, and it allowed women to live alone without a male guardian <\/span>in 2021<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

Nor are women apparently included in Riyadh’s interpretation of openness to foreign culture. When American country music singer Toby Keith performed there <\/span>in 2017<\/span><\/a>, he sang to an all-male audience.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"

South Korean K-pop group BTS performs in the U.S. on May 19, 2019. The band gave a concert in Saudi Arabia in October the same year. | Image: Wikimedia Commons<\/a> (CC BY 3.0<\/a>)<\/span><\/p><\/div>\n

South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol is widely expected to continue pursuing active engagement with Saudi Arabia and the Middle East. He <\/span>dispatched<\/span><\/a> People Power Party Representative Chang Je-won as part of a delegation to the UAE in May to offer condolences over the death of former UAE President Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

There is also momentum for a <\/span>free trade agreement<\/span><\/a> between South Korea and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), a regional political and economic union that consists of Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE.<\/span><\/p>\n

South Korean firms could also consider constructing multibillion-dollar facilities in the Middle East to manufacture microchips and semiconductors, further revolutionizing the region\u2019s importance to the rest of the world.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

But as Seoul and Riyadh strengthen ties, South Korean businesses, entertainers and government will likely need to navigate criticism from the international community.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Global audiences have become much more sensitive about human rights and social justice, and while Saudi Arabia has <\/span>initiated some reforms<\/span><\/a> to allow their citizens more freedom, the country still ranks <\/span>at or near the bottom<\/span><\/a> in several human rights and civil liberties metrics. This likely puts a ceiling on the extent to which South Korea and the Saudi Kingdom can cooperate, at least in the entertainment sector.<\/span><\/p>\n

Edited by Arius Derr<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

Business & Economy<\/span><\/a>Culture & Society<\/span><\/a>Inter-Korean & Foreign Relations<\/span><\/a><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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 \u2014 in what is something […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3665,"featured_media":2197564,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[21],"tags":[24,25,28],"yoast_head":"\nSouth Korea pivots to the Middle East, selling both weapons and K-pop cool - KOREA PRO<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/2022\/07\/south-korea-pivots-to-the-middle-east-selling-both-weapons-and-k-pop-cool\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"South Korea pivots to the Middle East, selling both weapons and K-pop cool - KOREA PRO\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"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. 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