During the COVID-19 pandemic, South Korea emerged as one of the nations that mastered the containment of the virus. Following the praise coming from the foreign press, South Korea started exporting the “K-quarantine” model, technical knowledge on how other countries could also become successful in managing the outbreak. But how did the South Korean media react to the country’s success, and what was their influence on the Korean people’s sense of national collective identity and self-esteem?
This lecture explores the concept of nation branding and its internal implications as a direct result of press reporting. By focusing on the impact that a nation’s brand can have on national identity and collective self-esteem in times of crisis, the research argues that the opinion of the “other” is more relevant than ever on a collective level.
