4		Where is Our National Brand? The Chosun Ilbo, A30p. - Opinion Aug. 24, 2004 (Tue)  [Economy Focus] Where is Our National Brand?   Success myth of the 2002 World Cup in Korea and Korean wave in Asia. World is deeply interested in Korea currently and this is a new experience for Korea. Picture of Korean actor Bae Yong-joon, who is called 'Yon Sama' and the souvenir of his drama 'Winter Sonata' are sold like mad. In the Southeast Asia, popularity of Korean stars is reaching the sky.   National brand influences products' prices directly It is reported that in China and several Southeast Asian countries, the sales of products from Korea skyrocketed owing to the Korean wave in the region. However, Korean companies are not yet receiving favor of national brand power that advanced countries have. German has national brand image of soundness and reasonableness, Japan has cleanliness and accuracy, United States has freedom and practicality, and France has elegance and artistry. It gives the products and services from their countries their own images that are same as their national brand image. When purchasing a product, consumer pays attention to the country in which country the product is made. Unique image of a nation is a core element in consumer's choice. Moreover, when making inroads into a new market, national brand is very important especially for the unknown companies and products. In contrast, some products benefits from their national brand recognition. For instance, France is famous for its numerous perfumes, thus many perfumes manufactured in other countries are named with French often. Now, let's think about what the brand image of Korea is. There is a positive view of Korean national image and those are diligence and fastness. However, negative images, such as insecurity that comes from confrontation of South and North and labor-management disputes, and lack of creativity that comes from lots of imitated products, are more powerful for our national brand. All the business people acknowledge that 'Korea discount,' which means the drag on Korean share prices because of concerns that Korean economy is obscure and uncertain, exists in the stock market. There is no unique brand image of Korea. Maybe we have a specific image but we failed to refine and reproduce the positively systemized image. We need something more than World Cup or Kimchi to make our national brand much more powerful. It is important to build up a unique national image in the world. We need a strong and positive image that can represent our country. Recently, several Korea's leading companies are recognized in an international market with their superior products and earning profits from the high price. However, still, many products made in Korea are recognized with lowered-quality. Without additional benefits of national brand, Korean companies have to invest more resources, than the companies from advanced countries, to promote the brand power of the company itself.    Korea needs to create positive image Competitiveness of a company is decided by technology, human resources and management process. However, base of a company's competitiveness is the competitiveness of the nation where the company belongs. There are various elements for national competitiveness including fair competition rules, transparent social traditions, education level of the people and advancement of science and technology. In addition to the fundamental improvement, refining and decorating our national image is also important. Marketing is the most powerful competition method in the world. We need to create our own brand image, which is positive, strong and powerful. The country of morning calm, a miracle of Han River, an enthusiastic passion shown in the 2002 World Cup, economic recession started in 1997, demonstration and competition are all the things that we have got through. We need to consider which image can contribute in creating national wealth. I hope that an encouraging factor such as Korean wave is not just an instant phenomenon.