Following is the first in a series of interviews with world ’ s top designers and scholars who will participate in the Herald Design Forum in Seoul from Oct . 5 to Oct . 6 . ― Ed . Korea must seek to improve its image through actions , and not words , nation - branding specialist Simon Anholt says . Anholt , who coined the term “ nation brand ” in 1998 , is one of the world ’ s foremost experts in nation - branding and has served in advisory roles for a number of governments on related issues . In an email interview , Anholt said that while Korea and Seoul are handling matters regarding their brands relatively well , a country ’ s image is most effectively improved when it is being “ useful to humanity , ” unless the country has a positive image built up over many generations . He said that while Korea has come a long way in terms of nation - branding , a nation ’ s image is a “ deeply - rooted cultural phenomenon ” that requires generations to change . Anholt also points to the need for a coordinated effort that encompasses a wide range of elements for Korea to build the reputation in the international community it desires . These include effective diplomacy , quality exports of goods and services , cultural relations and responsible foreign policy . Q : The South Korean government has put lots of effort into promoting a positive image of the country worldwide since the inauguration of President Lee Myung - bak . What do you think of South Korea ’ s global image ? A : What I personally think about South Korea ’ s image isn ’ t nearly as interesting as what international public opinion thinks ! According to my annual survey , the Anholt - GfK Roper Nation Brands IndexSM , which represents the opinions of nearly 70 percent of the world ’ s population , Korea is gradually rising up the ranking , and is approaching the top half of the list of 50 countries in the index . The improvement may seem very slow , but you should remember that national image is a very deeply rooted cultural phenomenon . There are nearly 200 countries in the world , and most people never think about any of them , so it ’ s not surprising if they don ’ t change their minds about Korea ― or anywhere else ― very easily . Q : Please explain as specifically as possible how the nation or city brands that you planned were born . You are known to have participated in the nation - branding of the U . K . In what direction did you build and promote it ? A : I originally coined the term “ nation brand ” in an article in 1998 and have been working to develop the field ever since . I have been involved in U . K . public diplomacy for over 20 years , sitting on the Foreign Office Public Diplomacy Board . This has nothing much to do with promoting the image of the U . K . and is more about using various “ soft power ” instruments to carry out our foreign policy objectives . During the last 15 years I have advised the Heads of State , Heads of Government and governments of more than 40 other countries on questions relating to economic competitiveness , investment and tourism promotion , cultural and diplomatic relations , major events , exports , security and education . National image and reputation is just one small part of my work . Q : What is the relationship between nation - branding and design ? How much weight does design have in nation - branding ? A : I think that many people misunderstood what I originally meant by the term “ brand ” in this context . “ Branding ” in the commercial context is about logos , slogans and corporate identity : I don ’ t think this has anything to do with a nation ’ s image . When I used the word “ brand ” I was referring to the nation ’ s brand image : in other words , its international reputation or standing . I wasn ’ t talking about packaging or communications or logos or advertising campaigns . A country ’ s creative industries , including design , can play an important role in helping that country to engage productively and usefully with people in other countries , and that certainly helps the country ’ s image to improve . Design partly determines the attractiveness of a country ’ s consumer products and of course exported products are among the most powerful “ ambassadors ” for any country , as Japan and Germany showed in the second half of the twentieth century . And the way that cities are designed can certainly play a major part in making them more attractive to tourists and foreign investors . Q : Which countries or cities do you think have succeeded in building nation or city brands ? What are their characteristics and what do they have in common ? A : The countries with the most powerful and positive reputations have either been powerful and influential for many generations , or else they have proved more recently that they can contribute in a tangible way to the international community . In other words , a country either inherits a positive reputation from its past , because it is part of the global culture , or else it earns a new reputation by making itself useful to humanity . Q : Is there any country whose brand value fails to match its economic might ? If so , what are the reasons for its failure to manage its image as a nation ? A : Being rich and successful does not guarantee a positive image , and Korea is a good example of this . A country ’ s economic or social success is generally of no interest or relevance to people in other countries : if you want people in other countries to admire you , you have to do something for them . Instead of asking itself “ what can we say to make Korea more famous , ” a better question for Korea to ask is “ what can we do to make Korea relevant ? ” Q : Do you think that South Korea and Seoul do a good job of managing their nation or city brands ? If you think they leave something to be desired , what points should they improve ? A : Better than most ! Korea is one of the few countries which seem to have understood that simply shouting about how wonderful it is won ’ t change anything . The key to national standing is engagement with other governments and other populations : this is a very different thing from promotion . Q : What does it take to build an effective image of a nation ? Do you have the know - how to build an effective and positive image of a nation quickly ? A : Countries are judged by what they do and what they make , not by what they say about themselves , and it takes time to earn that reputation . Only one thing can change a nation ’ s image quickly , and that is having a charismatic leader who provides international leadership : Mandela , Lula , Obama and Churchill . Otherwise , it takes decades and generations , and unfortunately elected governments aren ’ t usually that patient ! The ingredients of good reputation are the same as the ingredients of positive international engagement : effective public and private diplomacy , quality exports of goods and services , vigorous and mutual cultural relations , responsible foreign policy , effective and principled multilateral engagement , sustainable tourism promotion , foreign direct investment promotion , talent attraction , major events , enlightened and generous overseas aid and development , sustainability . If Korea does all of these things to world - class standards , and in a harmonized and coordinated way , it will soon build its reputation . Q : In what direction would you like the Herald Design Forum to go ? A : I would like it to be realistic about the limitations of design to impact national image , and to understand that image is much more the consequence of policy than of communications . But it can play a significant role in pointing out the importance of design to quality of life , which is equally important . By Choi He - suk ( cheesuk @ heraldm . com )