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Professor Joseph S. Nye Meets with President Lee Myung-bak

Harvard University Professor Joseph S. Nye and Korea Foundation President Yim Sung-joon met with President Lee Myung-bak and discussed the importance of soft power, and ways to advance Korea-U.S. relations and inter-Korean relations.
Harvard University Professor Joseph S. Nye and Korea Foundation President Yim Sung-joon met with President-elect Lee Myung-bak, on February 13, just prior to his inauguration as the President of Korea. During the meeting, they discussed the importance of soft power, and ways to advance Korea-U.S. relations and inter-Korean relations. President Lee had well recognized the importance of soft power during his presidential campaign, by expressing his intention to reinforce Korea’s soft power efforts. Professor Nye is a distinguished scholar who is recognized as the creator of the soft power concept, which emphasizes cultural influences and international exchange. As such, President Lee’s meeting with Professor Nye confirms the desire of his administration to pursue cultural and public diplomacy.



During the 40-minute meeting at his office in Tongeui-dong, Seoul, President Lee noted: “Traditional Korea-U.S. relations have been maintained thus far, but now, new future-oriented bilateral relations need to be forged not only for our two countries, but also for Northeast Asian prosperity.” He went to add: “The United States is currently focused on the Middle East, such as Iraq and Afghanistan. It seems to Asian countries that the United States puts less priority on its policy toward Asia. The United States thus needs to pay more attention to Asia, as Asian countries like Korea, China, and India are now playing a new key role in global affairs.”
While agreeing with President Lee, Professor Nye pointed out that Korea, located between two giants, needs to wisely maintain a balance of power. He also advised Korea to utilize soft power, as well as hard power, to upgrade its brand abroad, while overcoming its limits as a peninsular country. He also emphasized the importance of soft power in resolving the North Korean nuclear problem. Professor Nye has long advocated that a combination of South Korea’s soft power and China’s hard power, in an appropriate manner, is a key to the settlement of North Korea’s nuclear issues. This meeting thus served as an occasion for President Lee, Professor Nye, and Korea Foundation President Yim to express their concurrence on the significance of further promoting Korea’s soft power.

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