1. Use of Soft Power in Contemporary World: Asian Perspective
Derek m c Yuen
Hong Kong

2. In this presentation:
An up-to-date theoretical framework for the cultural soft power struggle in Northeast Asia
Popular-culture centric
Culture clashes among Japan, Korea, and China
China’s possible adoption of the Korean model
Asianization of Cultural Soft Power Paradigm
Boil down to pop-culture, for it is where the actions take place

3. Limitations of Chinese soft power
2 strands of soft power: Confucianism (cultural) and Realism (politico-economic-diplomatic)
2 strategic cultures with internal tension and contradictions
Confucianism: passive/reactive, idealistic, traditional, and not really actionable
Tributary System: moral value (soft power) and security
Confucius Institutes
Inspired from Lao Tzu and Sun Tzu:
“A leader is best when people barely know he exists.”
“the highest excellence is never having to fight (because the commencement of battle signifies a political failure)” (doesn’t have to use force)
Sadly, Sun Tzu and Lao Tzu don’t count, even their work insinuated soft power and its concept, for they only represent the soft approach of international politics or doing hard politics in a soft manner
Alastair Iain Johnston’s major work on Chinese strategic culture, Cultural Realism (1995)
Quite an accurate depiction of the 2 strategic cultures China has been having, which they haven’t been compatible with each other
Passive, at most reactive
Traditional, without saying

4. Limitations of Chinese soft power
Realism: proactive, adaptive but incompatible with culture
Various politico-economic-diplomatic soft powers and tools
Chinese leadership embraces culture as the core of soft power
Intention to be an alternative to the West, hence avoiding to incorporate Western values and approaches
The China (development) Model—appeals to the developing world, necessarily non-Western
OBOR, AIIB
The Chinese application of soft power is more Confucian-based than based on realism
Intention to be an alternative to the West, hence avoiding to incorporate Western values and approaches
“Peaceful evolution”: Suspicion of infiltration of Western culture and political value
Leader of the Third World: The China (development) model

5. japan Asia’s tastemaker in the 1990s
Consists of traditional and modern culture
Its cultural influence cannot be translated into political power:
Historical animosity
Publicly used pop-culture as a diplomatic tool
The spread of Japanese cultural products offered the country incredible levels of cultural influence, but it could not translate its new cultural capital into political power, not simply because of the historical animosity, but also the fact that Japan publicly used pop culture as a diplomatic tool

6. Rio 2016 Olympics closing ceremony
Super Mario Bros. (1985)
Captain Tsubasa (1981)
Pac-Man (1980)
Hello Kitty (1974)
Doraemon (1969)
Manga and video games
Short of anything beyond the 80s

7. Korea Korean drama began to gain international acclaim in 1997
Japanese cultural products became too expensive
Hallyu (Korean cultural wave): K-Pop, Korean dramas & movies, Korean cuisine, language and style
Public diplomacy + Nation branding + Economic effects
Highly beneficial for Korea as an export-oriented economy
However, Japan’s place as the trendsetter didn’t last for long
Japanese cultural products becoming too expensive for the average consumer
in 2000, Korean dramas cost only a quarter of what it took to produce their Japanese counterpart
Hallyu: The most notable sources of Hallyu are K-Pop, Korean dramas and movies, on top of sports, Korean cuisine, language and style
K-culture diplomacy
Nation branding that successfully enhances a country’s image can have positive economic effects: it can boost tourism, draw in more foreign investment, and increase the value and flow of exports from the country (which is highly beneficial for an export-oriented economy such as that of Korea).

8. Hallyu Psy - Gangnam Style (2012) My Love from the Star (2013-4)
Descendants of the Sun (2016)
Psy’s Gangnam Style (2 million YouTube views), My Love from the Star, Descendants of the Sun
South Korean managed to charge past Japan to become Asia’s foremost trendsetter
“A century ago, Japanese imperialists labelled Koreans inferior and ugly; now Japanese women receive plastic surgery to look Korean.”
Japan is now using the Korean model as inspiration: in what is perhaps the best evidence of its own waning power as a trendsetter, it has launched a $500m fund to invest in “Cool Japan”. (vs. Dynamic Korea)
China represents a good target for Korean soft power

9. Nation branding: quick assessment
Korea’s centralized strategy has the potential to be much more effective than Japan’s
China’s nation-branding plan is much less clearly defined than Korea’s
China’s approach seems to focus more on traditional culture than commercial brands, while Japan does the opposite
On balance, Korea’s centralized strategy has the potential to be much more effective than Japan’s. China’s nation-branding plan is also much less clearly defined than Korea’s, although one of its main image objectives appears to be that of a peaceful, rising super-power. China’s approach seems to focus more on traditional culture than commercial brands, while Japan does the opposite.
In January 2009, President Lee Myung-bak created the Presidential Council on Nation Branding, consisting of 47 members, including 13 government officials (8 of whom are ministers) and 34 civilian members (mostly from the private sector)—a comprehensive and centralized nation-branding project overseen by the President and his Council.
The Japanese government has identified the culture industry as one of five potential areas of growth. In June 2010, the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry established a new Creative Industries Promotion Office to promote cultural and creative industries as a strategic sector "under the single, long term concept of "Cool Japan", to coordinate different government functions, and to cooperate with the private sector".

10. Culture clashes Japan vs. Korea China vs. Korea
Territorial disputes over Dokdo(K)/Takeshima(J) (2012)
China vs. Korea
Deployment of THAAD US missile system to South Korea (2016)
Result: limitation of Korean entertainment activities
Check Korean cultural expansion in their countries
Prevent civilians’ disagreement over foreign policy decisions
Triggered by territorial dispute and geopolitical turmoil
In the form of geopolitical backlash
Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD)
During the peak of Korean entertainment activities
Trying to stall, if not reverse the Korean wave
Civilians’ disagreement over, if not defiance against nation’s foreign policy decisions

11. Strengths of the Korean model
A perfect mix of private and public participation, but still government-led
Features both popular and traditional culture
Combines Western style with Asian sensibilities/values—the appeal of being both East Asian and global
Production of an increasingly homogenized popular culture and potentially a pan-regional culture
Appeals to young people
The most fascinating part is that:
Gives out modern “cool” and economic allure in the context of conservative Asian values
Acquiring the appeal of being both East Asian and global
Creating a new universal standard that transcends stereotypes and culture
As such is the case, it makes possible the production:
As Joseph Nye puts it, South Korea has the resources to produce soft power, and its soft power is not prisoner to the geographical limitations that have constrained its hard power throughout its history.

12. china eyes on the Korean model
Chinese interest in Hallyu: investments and recruitment
Descendants of the Sun was made with Chinese investment
Government-led
Popular and traditional culture
Recent setback for the Confucius Institutes
Asian values
The prospect of producing a pan-regional culture
It is known that there is an aggressive wave of Chinese investments flooding the Korean market in recent years.
Much of these investments are related to hallyu, the Korean cultural wave, but China’s activities are not limited to buying shares or making investments; they also include recruiting talented game designers and computer programmers and developers.
The Chinese company is indeed the 2nd largest investor of the Korean production and distribution company
At once China will see the Korean model as an advanced version of its own
Suits the needs of China’s grand strategy and regional goals

13. Asianization of Cultural Soft Power Paradigm ?
West  Japan/Korea (Asianize)  China
An increasingly homogenized popular culture could help Asia coalesce into a more discernible bloc, giving it more international influence
Will lead to further Asianization. May eventually become incompatible with US/Western cultural influence
There’s an ongoing Asianization of cultural soft power paradigm, following the path that originated from the soft power model of the West, then Asianized by Japan and Korea, and finally absorbed by China
The prospect of such paradigm change is more likely as the Korean model gives rise to an:
The breakaway from the Western model will lead:

14. Implications to the use of soft power
Utilizes soft power as a representational power that can shape beliefs about things other than reputations by manipulating the subjectivity of target groups
Soft power-led strategy and soft power nations
Utilizes soft power as a transformational power that helps bridge geographic and linguistic barriers by crafting cultural proximity
Transforming culture into a bridging, rather than differentiating, factor
In view of
The latest developments in East Asia demonstrate how soft power can be utilized as representational and transformational powers
South Korea is on a path to recognizing its soft power as a both a reputational, representational, and regional force.
A representational power can “…shape beliefs about things other than reputations” by manipulating the subjectivity of target groups, as South Korea has done. China, Asia, ME, and LA represent a good target for this representational power.
In this sense, such transformational power would possibly facilitate regionalization led by a pan-regional culture