BULGARIAN - KOREAN FORUM "PUBLIC DIPLOMACY"

CULTURAL DIPLOMACY - THE 'SUNNY SIDE' OF FOREIGN POLICY

Sofia, December 9 2015

INTRODUCTION

Are the possibilities of public diplomacy limited in a situation where "hard power" is employed in more and more parts of the world? How can small and medium-sized countries conduct cultural diplomacy when this is made difficult by competitive pressure from superpowers that develop their own strategies in this area? These issues were discussed at the Bulgarian-Korean Forum "Public Diplomacy", held at the start of December 2015 by the State Institute for Culture at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Embassy of the Republic of Korea in Sofia. The forum was held with the support of the Korean Foundation.
Prof. Kim Taehwan from the Korean National Diplomatic Academy presented “Recent Development regarding Public Diplomacy: Bulgarian and Korean Cases”.

The forum was attended by more than 50 representatives of the media, academia, professors of cultural studies, Cultural and Diplomatic Institutes, the British Council - Sofia, the National Culture Fund, State Institute for Culture, NGOs and cultural organizations, cultural institutions, that work closely with Korea and the media.

DR LYUDMILA DIMITROVA, Director of the State Institute for Culture, opened the forum, emphasising that developments in the field of cultural diplomacy are dynamic and that we appreciate the opportunity to share experiences with the Korean partners. The forum was part of the celebration of the 25th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Bulgaria and the Republic of Korea. Cultural diplomacy is part of foreign policy - successes in the cultural dialogue between our countries had and continue to have a strong start at political level, with the most significant event being the visit by President Plevneliev to South Korea in May 2015. The second reason for initiating this forum is the tenth anniversary of the State Institute for Culture. Ten years ago, Bulgaria was preparing to join the EU, which gradually put on the agenda for discussion the projection of the national identity in the European context. Today the country is in active preparation for the Bulgarian presidency of the EU in 2018. The dynamics of political processes in Europe and the world require us to think about the changes in the public image of Bulgaria. In recent years, through culture, the EU has been seeking confirmation of its position as a strong player on the world stage - a challenge too to our views of the role of public and cultural diplomacy. We are witnesses to the fact that image and reputation are critical in the current geopolitical situation.

Conference Report and publication of article by prof.Kim Taehwan in "Diplomacy" review - in the attached files