(LEAD) S. Korea makes 'Creative Korea' new national slogan

(ATTN: UPDATES with quote, more background info, minor changes; ADDS photos, byline)
By Shim Sun-ah

SEOUL, July 4 (Yonhap) -- The government on Monday officially adopted "Creative Korea" as South Korea's new national slogan and promote it internationally to highlight the importance the country places on fostering creativity.

The country had used "Dynamic Korea," as its official slogan ahead of the 2002 South Korea-Japan World Cup. But it has been almost unused since 2009.

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism created the new slogan based on public polls that singled out "creativity," "passion and "harmony" as the three main keywords that can best identify Korea. It also listened to opinions from local and foreign experts.

The ministry said while "passion" was the driving force of building today's Korea from the ashes of the 1950-53 Korean War, "creativity" is a value that the country should pursue to move itself forward to cope with changing demands of the time.

To promote the image, the government will launch a national brand campaign on foreign news media outlets such as CNN and BBC and its overseas missions and relevant organizations, including Korean cultural centers and the Korea Tourism Organization.

The ad campaign features actor Song Joong-ki and actress Song Hye-kyo of the mega-hit TV series "Descendants of the Sun," as well as go player Lee Se-dol, pianist Cho Seong-jin and K-pop boy band BigBang, among others.

A video showing the "Creative Korea" logo will be screened on a outer wall of the Seoul Square building just across from Seoul Station in the city center for a month from Monday.

Forthcoming international sports events such as the 2016 Rio Summer Olympics and the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics will be used as a means to promote the new slogan, the ministry said.

"We will improve Korea's national image and create the 'Korea premium' in cooperation with relevant government organizations by aggressively holding various events to raise the world's awareness of the new national slogan that carries the vision and value of the nation," Culture Minister Kim Jong-deok said during a press briefing.

Park Younggoog, deputy minister for culture and arts policy, said during the same briefing that national branding is about how a country is seen by others.

"If a brand carries a good and beautiful image, companies and their products can benefit from the image," he said.

sshim@yna.co.kr
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