South Korea Plans 'Brand' Makeover

How does your nation rank in terms of the "Nation Brands Index"? Do you care? Apparently, South Korea does, as its president has established a Presidential Council on Nation Branding, whose goal is to raise the country's ranking from an embarrassing 33 of 50 to 15th place. South Koreans were reportedly appalled to find their country ranked behind the Czech Republic and Poland. (The U.S. was seventh; Germany first.) Some of the reasons for the low opinion of South Korea internationally? Its association with its trouble-making neighbor to the north, its relatively recent arrival on the global stage, and that video of South Korean politicians brawling. One blogger living in South Korea says the country just needs to accept its quirky image and that it is "stuck in this way of thinking that it has to outdance, outspend and out-palace other countries."