South Korea in Perspectives: Ambitious, Perseverance, and Enchanting

” You have to stay strong! Just swallow your mistakes, then stand up again and fight harder!”

-God of Study-

This powerful quote has been impressed on my mind when watching Korean Drama (K-
Drama) series called God of Study. From here, I observed and then developed a new perspective
on the Korean people's spirit as someone who is persistent and ambitious in achieving goals. No
wonder that now the Republic of Korea has succeeded in becoming a country with advanced
economic prosperity and a great influence on the Asian, even the world. This Ginseng Country
chose to immediately rise and run fast after the bitter experience during the Korean War. This
nation turned out to have the same historical background as Indonesian. This country was
equally colonized by the Japanese, which left its cuts on the history of each. After Japan declared
unconditional surrender of the allies and the World War II was over, the independence expected
by the Republic of Korea and Indonesia finally happened. On August 15, 1945, independence
then sided to The Land of the Morning Calm, then the next two days, on August 17, 1945, as the
independence day for Indonesia1. But the historical similarities have passed turned out to not
continue the same in the next era. The Republic of Korea has flown high first as a developed
country with an increasing level of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) per capita by >10 times in
less than 50 years since the 1960s2. Then what's make different the achievements of these two
countries? I am fairly sure that this success comes from persistence and great ambition.
The Republic of Korea's leadership by Park Chung Hee has succeeded in giving an
injection of work ethic to the community through rewarding those who work better 3. Culture of
high competitiveness and thirst for achievement may already be attached to the souls of Koreans.
This government can then provide water for the thirst of the people who then form extraordinary
persistence. As Calvin Colidge said, "Nothing in this world can take the place of persistence.
Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful people with talent. Genius will not;
unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated
failures. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent ". As someone who admires this
nation, I often follow and observe various habits that seem like always hurry up in everything,
walking fast for something important, and using the catalyst of the word "hurry up" three times.
Most Koreans in Indonesia use this word to encourage the performance of workers in Indonesia4.
In addition to its persistence, it turns out that the Republic of Korea also has a high
literacy rate (almost 50%) in 1945 to present (almost 98%)5. The influence of Japanese
colonialism strongly influenced Confucian culture which had a positive impact on literacy
growth in this nation. Literacy means people who are over 15 years who can read and write.
With existing human resources, this nation has the most capital of agent of change based on the
mindset of open-minded community and mental readiness that faces change to move forward.
The Republic of Korea is also quite good in terms of nation branding, especially in
Indonesia ranging from culture, cosmetics, food, and technology. This may from influence of
Korean Wave or commonly called Hallyu which has spread in the world. The term is now widely
used to refer to the popularity of South Korea entertainment and culture across Asia and other
parts of the world. This effort is a form of soft-power for Korea to be able to improve its
country's image on the international as well as a promotion which then impacts to the economic
sector. Samsung is one of the smartphone products from South Korea which now dominates the
Indonesian market. Anissa and Heriyanto reported that their research conducted on 100 visitor
respondents at PT Samsung Electronic Indonesia Pekanbaru Branch stated that the factors
affecting customer buying interest were country of origin and brand images which included
quality, identity, usability and benefits, price, risk and image of product 6. Brand awareness is
also a factor that can affect customer buying interest. But recently, Samsung's existence must be
displaced by Chinese products such as Oppo and Vivo. This may due to these products
intensively putting up advertisements that use the identity of "Brand Ambassadors" by several
Indonesian actors and actresses. These efforts should also be carried out by Samsung because
when viewed from the aspect of product quality and price, both have met good standards.
In the entertainment sector, Transmedia, one of the national television channels in Indonesia has
officially cooperated with Korean SM Entertainment7. This collaboration might be triggered by
many fans of K-Pop and K-Drama in Indonesia. Various K-Dramas are now present on
Indonesian television which broadly attracts fans' attention. The spread of culture is also carried
out with the existence of the Korean Cultural Center (KCC) which is spread in various regions of
the country including Indonesia. This institution can play a role as an extension of arms for
South Korea government with other countries to increase knowledge and understanding of
various aspects of Korean culture and history. In Indonesia, KCC can be found on Jenderal
Sudirman St., Jakarta, and open to the public for free. The facilities offered are library,
multifunction hall, and information technology showroom. In terms of activities, there are
several main activities related to cultural programs, seminars and workshops, film screenings, art
exhibitions, and Korean language learning programs. These activities and events can be easily
accessed on the KCC website or social media accounts4
Enchanting, another term is given to South Korea. The beauty of cities like Seoul, Busan, Jeju is
often depicted in Korean drama which attracts foreign tourists. In 2019, around 17.25 million
Indonesian tourists visited South Korea8. Besides that, Korean language also has its attractions.
This language is easier to learn for beginners than Mandarin and has interesting pronunciations.
The development of Korean Studies in Indonesia at Gajah Mada University (UGM) initiated by
the Former UGM Chancellor, Prof. Soekanto Reksohadiprojo who is also a former Korean
Ambassador to Indonesia. Subsequent developments, University of Indonesia (UI) also opened a
major in Korean Language and Culture. In fact, the competition to enter this department in the
second year after opening was very tight at 37: 1 or in the second ranks highest after English
Literature department4.
Various efforts of South Korean Government to built national branding have been very good.
Some of the collaborations in the entertainment sector with national TV broadcasts, establishing
Korean Cultural Center in the capital city that offers a variety of facilities and events,
scholarships for Indonesian students, as well as various humanitarian assistance have built a
positive image of South Korea in Indonesia. Optimization needs to be done to ensure a positive
image of South Korea spread throughout the world. The existence of KCC in the capital city has
limitations to be reached by others who live outside. Therefore, the construction of KCC
branches in other big cities can be done to facilitate public affordability or by making various
cultural events in other cities. Furthermore, upgrading websites or social media can help online
accessibility of cultural diffusion. Besides, access to be able to learn English and Korean Culture
for free also need to be pursued by the Korean Culture Center as well as made by the British
Council on its website https://learnenglish.britishcouncil.org/. As found on the learning site,
KCC can include a variety of interesting topics from cultural or positive image of South Korea
such as in reading texts, recordings for listening, and on podcasts. This choice can be a very
appropriate effort in the middle of internet era, or commonly known as internet of things.
References:
1) Soyfyan, D. (2019). Essay: With Love, Korea. The Jakarta Post. Retrieved from
https://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2019/07/15/essay-with-love-korea.html
2) Wardhana, I. W. (2016). Political Economic Determinants of Growth Acceleration: A
Korea-Indonesia Comparative Study. Kajian Ekonomi dan Keuangan, 20(1), 77-95.
Retrieved from Journal of Environmental Science and Sustainable Development 2(2): 176-
192 DOI: https://doi.org/10.7454/jessd.v2i2.1022192
3) Kim, M. O., & Jaffe, S. (2010). The new Korea: An inside look at South Korea's economic
rise. AMACOM Div American Mgmt Assn.
4) Je Seung Jeon dan Yuwanto. (2014). Era Emas Hubungan Indonesia-Korea. Jakarta:
Kompas
5) Vu, T. (2010) Paths to Development in Asia: South Korea, Vietnam, China, and Indonesia,
Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
6) Annisa, N., & Heriyanto, M. (2017). Pengaruh Country Of Origin dan Brand Image
terhadap Minat Beli pada Produk Smartphone Samsung (Studi pada PT Samsung
Electronic Indonesia Cabang Pekanbaru) (Doctoral dissertation, Riau University).
7) CNN Indonesia’s team. (2018). Trans Media Resmi Jalin Kerja Sama dengan SM
Entertainment. Retrieved from https://www.cnnindonesia.com/hiburan/20181008124533-
227-336572/trans-media-resmi-jalin-kerja-sama-dengan-sm-entertainment
8) Korea Tourism Organization. (2019). Korea Menyambut Wisatawan Ke-17.25 Juta:
Wisatawan Asal Indonesia. Retrieved from https://www.visitkorea.or.id/article/korea-
menyambut-wisatawan-ke-1725-juta-wisatawan-asal-indonesia