Journal Social Studies Vol 17 No 2.indd 197 Analyzing the practice of South Korea’s public diplomacy in Indonesia: An approach with communication pyramid of public diplomacy Vita Fitria Department Islamic Comparative Law, Faculty of Sharia and Law, Universitas Islam Negeri Sunan Kalijaga, Yogyakarta, Indonesia Email: vitafitria08@gmail.com Haekal Adha Al Giffari Department Communication, Faculty of Islamic Revealed Knowledge and Human Sciences, International Islamic University Malaysia, Malaysia Email: haekal.adha@gmail.com Daffa Al Falah Department Communication, Faculty of Islamic Revealed Knowledge and Human Sciences, International Islamic University Malaysia, Malaysia Email: daffaalfalahauba@gmail.com Muhammad Zul Razin Department Communication, Faculty of Islamic Revealed Knowledge and Human Sciences, International Islamic University Malaysia, Malaysia Email: razorfro@live.com Journal of Social Studies (JSS), ISSN: 1858-2656 (p); 2721-4036 (e) Vol. 17. No. 2 (2021), pp. 197-220 doi: 10.21831/jss.v17i2.42479..197-220 198 Journal of Social Studies (JSS), Volume 17, Number 2, 2021: 197-220 Abstract The dissemination of South Korean culture in Indonesia becomes prominent as it attracts lot of people and creates many fans. The penetration of its spread in Indonesia is supported by some institutions which emphasizes on advocating and developing the South Korean culture and practice. The phenomena are not incidentally occurred, but it is well-managed by the government of South Korea as the advocate country of public diplomacy in collaboration with the target country which is Indonesia in achieving this mission. Public diplomacy is positioned as an approach of the advocate country to influence the public of foreign country to support the advocate’s country position which can be implemented through their state and non-sate actors in achieving mutual benefits. This paper observes the practice, impact, and challenges of South Korea’s public diplomacy in Indonesia based on Communication Pyramid Public Diplomacy framework. The findings show that the practice of public diplomacy allows cultural hybridity and increase enthusiasm of Indonesian in understanding the culture of the advocate country while the challenge is asymmetric direction between state and non-state actors of South Korea in the implementation of public diplomacy. Keywords: Public diplomacy, South Korea, Indonesia, International Relations Introduction An indispensable component of a country’s foreign policy, public diplomacy plays a significant role in promoting and maintaining sustainable relationships among countries. Public Diplomacy was initially introduced by Edmund Gullion in 1965 as an aspect of international relations (Gurgu & Cociuban, 2016). It focuses on creating a positive perception of a country among citizens of a foreign country. It is a communication process between a country with its national interests and a targeted country (Tuch, 1994). For instance, US public diplomacy often offers foreign citizens to experience education and cultural exchanges in the US. Nye (2004) identified public diplomacy as a means of soft power concept in which it convinces the other party to take specific actions that meet the interest of the host country voluntarily or without enforcement of any kind. On the contrary, hard power is used when oppression is involved. 199 Analyzing the practice of South Korea’s... (Vita Fitria, Haekal Adha Al Giffari, Daffa Al Falah, Muhammad Zul Razin) While traditional diplomacy and public affairs involve only stakeholders within the same country, public diplomacy should connect stakeholders from different countries (Gurgu & Cociuban, 2016). For instance, when the government of South Korea builds a partnership with the government of Indonesia, it is known as traditional, formal diplomacy. In another context, when the government of South Korea introduces its K-Pop and cuisines to its citizens, it is known as public affairs. Public diplomacy should involve the government of South Korea with Indonesian citizens (or other non-governmental actors such as corporations and NGOs) in introducing their cultures. The actors behind public diplomacy vary according to the situation. Among them are the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, private organizations, diplomats, and foreign journalists (Noveck, 2002). South Korea is one of the world’s leading role models in public diplomacy. Its tremendously growing economy has supported the development of its modern and traditional cultures that captivate the world’s attention. Through South Korean pop, drama series, and movies (K-pop, K-dramas, and K-movies), also known as the Korean Waves, South Korea has successfully familiarized its culture throughout the world. In addition to its success in other sectors, the successful public diplomacy has escalated South Korea from a less- known, helpless country into one of the most powerful and influential ones (Hjalmarsson, 2013). As a means of public diplomacy, the Korean Waves, or Hallyu, have also induced cultural hybridity in South East Asian countries, including Indonesia. Simanjuntak (2020) argued that Indonesia is no longer a market for the rapidly spreading Korean Waves. Instead, it has been part of the cultural phenomenon. The director of the Korean Cultural Center in Indonesia, Kim Yong-Woon, pointed out that Indonesia is a significant partner of South Korea. More and more Indonesians are eager to learn the Korean language, eat Korean foods, sing Korean songs, and enjoy Korean culture (Simanjuntak, 2020). This study hopes to identify the Public Diplomacy of South Korea towards Indonesia. The objective of this study are as follows: 1. To analyze the practice of public diplomacy implemented by South Korea toward Indonesia using Communication Pyramid of Public Diplomacy 2. To identify the impact of South Korean public diplomacy 3. To determine the challenge of South Korean Public Diplomacy to Indonesia 200 Journal of Social Studies (JSS), Volume 17, Number 2, 2021: 197-220 The problem identified in this study is the difficulty of assessing the effectiveness of public diplomacy. Public diplomacy is an abstract concept where there are no empirical results. Different nations or organizations react or interact in every situation. However, certain factors can be identified, for example, the psychology behind it or the influence of mass communication. The significance of this study is the ability to analyze the current state of Indonesia and South Korea and the influence public diplomacy has on a nation in a systematic framework. The data collected will also identify what has the most influence under mass communication, like the media. Literature Review Background of Korean Wave The first step of the Korean government in promoting their culture through public diplomacy is by establishing the Presidential Council on Nation Branding Program (PCNB), which was formed formally under the president’s authorization. It is a milestone of a successful Korean wave in the current day, called Hulya (Choi & Kim, 2014). The government is concerned with their nation branding. It is reflected by the discussion in 2016 related to the Diplomatic White Paper (Trisni, 2019). From the establishment, monitoring and legal enactment are implemented to make this effort more successful and sustainable. King Sejong Institute was established by PCNB, spread in many countries focusing on teaching the Korean language (Choi & Kim, 2014). It is expanded to Indonesia, which is collaborated with the National University- funded and sponsored by the government of South Korea. Trisni (2019) mentioned that to optimize public diplomacy, Indonesian actress, Dewi Sandra, was appointed as an ambassador of tourism for Indonesia. The outcome of the Korean Wave promoted by the South Korean Government in tandem with the non-state actor raises much profit and improves the excellent impression of South Korea as well in the eyes of the world. Some youths become fans of all about Korea, such as its food, style, culture, movie, and others, leading them to visit South Korea as what they watched on TV and internet, which includes learning the Korean language (Pramadya & Oktaviani, 2016). Jung and Shim (2013) mentioned that SM, YG, and JYP producers are well-organized, and their production is excellent, including its strategies and distributions, which can be the most prominent factor in the successful oh Korean Wave. It has an impression as a combination of Western and Eastern 201 Analyzing the practice of South Korea’s... (Vita Fitria, Haekal Adha Al Giffari, Daffa Al Falah, Muhammad Zul Razin) culture. Thus it is accepted widely, specifically in Asian countries (Pramadya & Oktaviani, 2016). Its creativity and well-organized strategy and management make Korean Wave lead its public diplomacy effort to globalize Korean culture as the competitor of Western influence, especially in entertainment industries. Soft power, brilliance, and beauty are the points of the Korean Wave, as mentioned by Pratiwi Anwar (2019). Public Diplomacy Overview “Public diplomacy” is described as an aspect of international relations (Gurgu & Cociuban, 2016), an interaction between state structures. Public diplomacy touches on integrating foreign media coverage and strategic media frame building by governments (Entman, 2008; Sheafer & Shenhav, 2009) as it competes in global communication between nations. Many articles have described it to be something about integration and interaction between nations. Moreover, when it comes to these actions, it refers to a communication system in which different nations, state representatives exchange their interests and issues (Gilboa, 2000). However, every nation requires communication to advance in power or expand the culture and economy. So, these nations communicate with an objective or goal in mind, leading to propaganda or traditional diplomacy. The Position of Public Diplomacy, Government Public Relations, Propaganda, and Traditional Diplomacy The U.S. government dominated the term “public diplomacy” and provided theories for the U.S. Information Agency. Hence, we will be using the term in this understanding. Hans Tuch describes “Public diplomacy” as “official government efforts to train abroad communication environments in which U.S. foreign policy is conducted to reduce the degree to which misconceptions and errors of perception complicate relations between the U.S. and other nations” (Touch, 2010). However, there were also public opinions that “public diplomacy” is defined as “propaganda” (Gurgu & Cociuban, 2016). The U.S. State Department defines it as U.S. government-funded programs designed to inform or influence public opinion abroad (Wolf & Rosen, 2004). So, it aims to promote or influence a political cause or point of view that is biased or even misleading in nature when it comes to propaganda. The similarities of “public diplomacy” and “propaganda” are that both have interactions between nations for cause, but the main difference is that propaganda influences other nations to bias their nation. 202 Journal of Social Studies (JSS), Volume 17, Number 2, 2021: 197-220 An example would be the influence of Western culture over traditional culture. Western media has influenced different nations via mass media like television and music, and how people of the modern era have different values compared to those who have lived in the old age. In addition, influences that contradict old traditions like in Islam prohibit cohabitating with someone of the opposite gender, or intimacy should only be shown behind closed doors. However, the media has shown that it is normal to cohabitate with the opposite gender and show intimacy in public. Traditional Diplomacy is defined as authorities promoting their policies and actions in the international arena for political, commercial, cultural, institutional, and humanitarian reasons (Terusso, 2016). It usually happens during conflicts; peacebuilding and dialogue opportunities will help regions in need of support. An example would be the United Nations. As stated on the U.N. website, “It was founded in 1945 after the Second World War by 51 countries to maintain international peace and security, develop friendly relations among nations, promote social progress, better living standards and human rights” (United Nations, 2021). Means of Public Diplomacy Instead of using payment and coercive enforcement, soft power uses a country’s ability to attract others to accomplish mutual objectives as derived from its political values, foreign policy, and cultures (Nye, 2019). Soft power uses an entirely different approach than hard power, which emphasizes coercive power to impose the goals or policies. Once the resistance occurs, conflict and war may emerge as the consequences. However, soft power accentuates persuasion, attraction, and mutual benefits of involved parties related to the specific policies. The relationship between soft power and public diplomacy is recognized under one sphere to promote a soft image of the country. It has a long and memorable history as public diplomacy has its primary role in ending and winning the cold war (Nye, 2019). The process of influencing other countries between two significant ideologies at that time which are capitalism and communism implemented significant soft power to approach and spread its ideology by the USA, with the addition of intelligent power. However, communism which, the USSR spread, used hard power mostly. Public diplomacy’s goals are to convey and influence public opinion of foreign targeted countries’ people in perceiving the culture, trend, and general opinion about the country that implements this approach of diplomacy 203 Analyzing the practice of South Korea’s... (Vita Fitria, Haekal Adha Al Giffari, Daffa Al Falah, Muhammad Zul Razin) (Özkan, 2015). This approach optimizes public opinion in shaping interactive contents, a framework of thinking, impressions, and correct misunderstanding subtly and attractively to build the credibility of a country. In some points, if public diplomacy is considered as successful, the foreign public opinion will be more likely to subscribe and espouse foreign cultures than their own as the influences, popularity and trends penetrated significantly within their country and broadcasted in most media, whether social media or traditional media persuasively. The foreign media will wholeheartedly accept the penetration of foreign cultures as it is proven to obtain more eyeballs and increase brand awareness and profit due to foreign culture popularity. Ozkan (2015) mentioned that cultures, languages, and education opportunities address foreign cultures as a means of influence. Cultures encompass language and education environments. Hence once languages and education are penetrated to foreign countries, the cultures will follow in tandem indirectly and create a new perspective of foreign public opinion. As the impact of globalization in which each country is interdependent to other countries, its penetration will be fully supported by foreign policies as it brings mutual sympathy and benefits for both parties. It is explained by Ozkan (2015) that conventional diplomacy which engages directly with the countries’ representatives should be conducted after the extent of accomplishment in public diplomacy to ease the process of conventional diplomacy as the other party has sufficient information and impression which indicates the relationship and trust at the first place. Nye (2019) explained that public diplomacy is efficient in mobilizing a country’s resources through its communication effort with the involvement of various non-governmental actors in shaping subtle cultural and ideological penetration to the foreign public in influencing their perception toward the country. As it harnesses the local cultures, entertainments, foods, activities or rituals and others to sign it for targeted countries or even at a global level, the local culture which is previously recognized locally shifted to be regionally or globally such as American culture. It is followed by Japanese culture through its Anime and Korean culture through its K-pop and Korean drama which contains a unique characteristic. Golan (2013) explained the engagement level of the public diplomacy approach, which the only influential means is mass media as it is powerful to construct foreign public opinion through its agenda-setting, framing, and priming to achieve specific diplomatic objectives. The ubiquity of media and its accessibility become the media as the center of information dissemination, which is stopped at that point, but it also has the 204 Journal of Social Studies (JSS), Volume 17, Number 2, 2021: 197-220 role as the primary means to interpret and frame the messages delivered based on the expected outcome. Public diplomacy is also essential in establishing nation brands to streamline the international media in covering the country to associate with positive characteristics. Golan (2013) mentioned Africa as an example in the Western coverage in which it reported more of its undeveloped sectors such as poverty, corruption, and others even though many improvements in several aspects. It leads to global opinion toward Africa as what it is portrayed in the global media. Hence, in this sense, African countries need more effort to optimize their public diplomacy to shift the public paradigm and correct any misunderstanding. Therefore, the positive messages should be maintained, and the disseminated negative information about the advocate country must be tackled as it is the work of public diplomats (McClellan, 2004). Nye (2019) elicited that in strategizing, soft power and public diplomacy should be planned as profoundly as it can be counter-intuitive implementation. He provided an example of disseminating Hollywood movies with violence and nudity to conservative Muslim countries, leading to resistance than acceptance. Moreover, Rugh (2017) found that most Arabs are critical of US foreign policy. However, their attitude toward the US reflects positively in perceiving the culture of America, its products, and education. It shows the power of American public diplomacy as they sent American groups of art, speakers, scholars, musicians, and others abroad to disseminate their cultures, ideologies, ways of thinking, and societies. It is successful as many people worldwide are willing to pursue their study in the US and perceive it as the center of excellence. Situation Analysis of South Korean Foreign Policy In its history, South Korea has been a victim of geopolitical rivalries among East Asian countries. It is the weakest country in Northeast Asia economically, except for North Korea. It still poses several challenges for its foreign policy strategies, particularly concerning threats to its regional security. South Korea’s focal weakness in maximizing its foreign policy is its internal political unity (Snyder et al., 2018). For instance, South Korean domestic political turmoil in late 2016 and early 2017 has incapacitated its foreign policy-making process. As the President at the time, Park Geun-Hye, was impeached, a vacuum in the country’s political leadership has raised tensions that hindered the development of the nuclear program with North Korea. Nevertheless, the country’s potentials shed light on breaking the old- 205 Analyzing the practice of South Korea’s... (Vita Fitria, Haekal Adha Al Giffari, Daffa Al Falah, Muhammad Zul Razin) time conception by expanding its capabilities to create a strategic environment. South Korea has successfully addressed its international development, global health, and peacekeeping (Snyder et al., 2018). From a powerless aid-receiver country, South Korea has enhanced significantly as one of the world’s leaders in economy, leading to its robust public diplomacy. For instance, South Korea emerged as a country with a successful national response in tackling the coronavirus-19 (COVID-19) cases during the ongoing global pandemic. At the same time, they used this situation for strategic Public Diplomacy. Its government and private companies gathered to aid Indonesia, a country with an exceptional collaborative relationship since over a decade ago, which has been poorly impacted by the pandemic (Lee & Kim, 2020). South Korea even pledged to provide $500,000 to support Indonesia tackle COVID-19 (Lee & Kim, 2020), creating an excellent national brand towards South Korea in the world’s eyes, especially among Indonesian citizens. Furthermore, the public-private sector collaboration is one of the strengths of South Korea’s Public Diplomacy. South Korea’s media entertainment industry has been a key strategic sector in its public-private efforts, especially after the country recovered from the Asian economic crisis in 1998. The entertainment industry plays an incredible role in South Korean national financial restructuring. Today, the Korean Waves (K-drama series, K-pop, and other Korean cultures) have established enthusiastic fandoms worldwide. Indonesia is no exception as a Korean Wave-influenced country. The penetration of Korean Waves has become an immense influence among Indonesians. Despite the disreputable government and local policies, South Korea dominated Indonesian markets in culture, television, drama series, music, and cuisines. The trend has also ignited mimicry in cultural products, such as the remaking of K-pop-like girl bands and boy bands that suit the local Indonesian taste, also known as localization (Mackenzie, 2020). Situation Analysis on Indonesian Foreign Policy Indonesian foreign policy is characterized as independent and active. While being independent implies Indonesia’s disassociation with any of the world’s superpowers, being active means that Indonesia is willing to participate actively, instead of passively or reactively, in any international issues. Indonesian foreign policy essentially serves the national interest while allowing Indonesia’s cooperation with other countries in eradicating social injustice of any kind in the world (Foreign Policy, n.d.). Furthermore, Indonesian foreign policy aims to prioritize its national development with the economy as its prime concern, 206 Journal of Social Studies (JSS), Volume 17, Number 2, 2021: 197-220 maintain the conduciveness and internal stability that supports the national development, and defend its regions and peoples. Patriadi et al. (2021) argued that Indonesian Foreign Policy has shifted along with the presidential transition. When President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono before 2009, the foreign policy focused on Indonesia’s leadership role in the Asia Pacific region, in which Indonesia played a significant role in creating orders and maintaining peace and stability. As President Joko Widodo gained the presidency in 2009, the priority was shifted to the national interest. Borrowing Trump’s notion of “America first,” President Joko Widodo echoed Trump in creating “Indonesia first” as Indonesia’s foreign policy’s focal point. Patriadi et al. (2021) argued that populism is the best word to describe this approach. An example of this notion is prioritizing the efforts to fight the Papua Movement in gaining its sovereignty instead of bolstering Indonesia’s international prestige by being such a leading actor in international issues. Furthermore, Patriadi et al. (2021) also pointed out that the enactment of this prioritization does not significantly redefine Indonesia’s national interest. The impact of Joko Widodo’s take on prioritizing national issues on Indonesia’s long-standing international role remains undetectable. Nevertheless, Patriadi et al. (2021) found that the President does not necessarily ignore the foundation of Indonesia’s foreign policy and its international commitments. Instead, it is just a matter of shifting from the ‘normative and ideal’ way of Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono into a more ‘practical and populist’ Joko Widodo’s approach. At the same time, Indonesian foreign policy also takes Public Diplomacy into account. Rachmawati (2017) identified that Indonesia’s Public Diplomacy journey has fluctuated during the three periods of the Indonesian government transitions. Today, the government and non-state actors are jointly involved in Public Diplomacy activities to show the modern, progressive, and democratic Indonesia to the world. Promotion of Indonesian culture and sports competitions is among maintaining Indonesia’s face and relationship with its partnering countries. Another example is the effort undergone by Nahdhatul Ulama (NU). Methods Research Design This paper employs library research and situation analysis which identifies the current situation of Public Diplomacy of South Korea in Indonesia, its 207 Analyzing the practice of South Korea’s... (Vita Fitria, Haekal Adha Al Giffari, Daffa Al Falah, Muhammad Zul Razin) elements, its strengths and weaknesses, and actions taken to progress further (Bhasin, 2017). The data collected for this study are from journal articles and reliable sources such as books, governmental and official websites, and online newspapers that contain information regarding Public Diplomacy of South Korea and its impact on Indonesia. The data garnered which consist of the tangible practice of South Korean Public diplomacy will be analyzed based on the theory which consists of awareness, interest, knowledge, advocate, and action. Theoretical Framework Public diplomacy is implemented by the government or non-state actors, which involves the target country’s public to construct a positive impression of the advocate country. Various approaches and strategies are practiced achieving an expected outcome and reach larger audiences. In assessing the effectiveness of public diplomacy of the advocate country, McClellan (2004) developed the paradigm which may observe step-by-step the influence’s penetration and the extent of public diplomacy impact in the target country as it identified awareness, interest, knowledge, advocacy, and action. The theory is called the Communication Pyramid of Public Diplomacy, which was introduced in 2004. The theory strengthened the statement of collaborative actors, whether government or non-government actors and its support in public diplomacy implementation. It is practiced not only by the government but also by political parties, industries, scholars, and other related entities. Even though it is a dictatorship country, optimizing public diplomacy is still essential as the government must work in tandem with its subordinate and other industries. Public diplomacy effort will consume more budget when it targets larger audiences with constant communication to influence. McClean (2004) elaborated the details of step-by-step ways in measuring public diplomacy. First, at the awareness level, the public in the target country should be aware of the existence of the advocate country and activities in the advocate or target country with its relationship to the messages delivered through traditional media and the internet. Constructing the message with the target country’s language, its personality and delivering them information about any activities of the advocate country that reflect the mutual interest of both target and advocate country is necessary to reach a larger audience. Second, to shift the awareness to interest, public diplomats should emphasize the benefits obtained from understanding more about the advocate country or recognizing the values which can establish positive relationships. In this stage, the audience 208 Journal of Social Studies (JSS), Volume 17, Number 2, 2021: 197-220 starts to follow news and actively seek information about the advocate country. Third, as the foreign audience is seeking more information actively about the advocate country, public diplomats need to establish information-oriented programs such as the target want to learn more about the advocate country’s culture, politics, ideologies, and others. It can be shaped by supporting the study in the target country by relating the benefits in learning the advocate country and the target country in several aspects. Fourth, knowledgeable individuals in the target country are more likely to support the advocate country’s stance if the relevance occurs. Journalists, think tank analysts, community leaders, and others will be this type of audience as they are opinion leaders who are influential in persuading the public to reach a larger audience. This step is involved with the classic two-step flows theory. Fifth, once opinion leaders in the target country have the role of a prominent advocate of the advocate country, the action taken by the target country will be more relevant to the advocate country. As the result of public diplomacy will be long term, the target country in a certain point will make relevant decisions to the advocate country without referring to it anymore, and the public will be convinced that their country should support the advocate country’s decision. Figure 1: Communication Pyramid of Public Diplomacy 209 Analyzing the practice of South Korea’s... (Vita Fitria, Haekal Adha Al Giffari, Daffa Al Falah, Muhammad Zul Razin) Results and Discussion Overview of South Korean Public Diplomacy towards Indonesia South Korean Public Diplomacy towards Indonesia is inseparable from the Korean Wave or Hallyu. Pradini (2018) argued that the Korean Wave is a crucial element of soft power penetrated to grow enthusiasm towards South Korean culture in Indonesia. Korean music, drama series, and songs have become a remarkable phenomenon impacting many Indonesian youths. The recent launch of a BTS-themed McDonald’s meal has sparked a surge in McDonald’s outlets in at least 13 outlets in Jakarta (Peters, 2021). BTS is currently the top South Korean boyband with a massive pool of fans globally, including Indonesia. The crowd of food orders flooded McDonald’s outlets in Jakarta due to the high demand for their BTS-themed products. Despite a month of availability, the crowd could not resist gaining their favorite idol’s- themed meals that the outlets had to close earlier due to the tremendous number of orders. The enthusiasm for the BTS meals illustrates the powerful Indonesian fandom towards one of South Korea’s means of Public Diplomacy from the entertainment industry. Dating back to history, the penetration of the Korean Wave initially emerged during the early 2000s with Korean dramas on a local Indonesian television channel. “Endless Love” is one of those dramas that drained the tears of the viewers. According to Pradini (2018), the dramas attracted Indonesian viewers due to the relatable themes, which often revolved around family and love life. Only then the boy band groups such as “Super Junior” and “Big Bang” gained their popularity, initiating the high interest of many Indonesians to know the South Korean language and culture more profoundly (Pradini, 2018). The extraordinary reception of South Korean culture in Indonesia has also induced imitative local dramas by local drama producers and celebrities. The drama “Kejora dan Bintang,” for instance, is inspired by South Korean drama “Brilliant Legacy) (Pradini, 2018). The fandom fever has also successfully grown more eagerness among Indonesians to be more associated with the Korean lifestyle, including fashion, traditional foods, and travel destinations. More and more Indonesians visit South Korea for its tourist attractions and further education. Pradini (2018) even argued that this phenomenon would greatly influence Indonesia’s political affairs, economy, and culture, which is positive so that the mutual collaboration between South Korea and Indonesia is well preserved. For instance, the positive 210 Journal of Social Studies (JSS), Volume 17, Number 2, 2021: 197-220 result of the relationship has shown in South Korea’s prodigious aid to Indonesia during the COVID-19 pandemic (Lee & Kim, 2020). Awareness and Its Challenge The Korean wave appeared in the early 2000s and was airing Korean dramas such as “Autumn in My Heart” (Indosiar – 2001), “Winter Sonata” (Indosiar – 2002), “Jewel in the Palace” (Indosiar – 2003), and many more. It was probably how many more Indonesians start to be aware of Korean media since it dominated the entertainment industry. However, Korean dramas tend to portray a certain expectation people had in life. It is a drama, storytelling, emotions, and situations are often exaggerated for entertainment purposes. Also, due to it being part of the Eastern culture, it only portrayed modest sexual intimacy compared to Western culture (Rahmawati, 2020). There was a viewership decline in South Korea for Korean dramas from 2007 to 2008 as the endings were cliché and always the same. In addition, viewership is mainly limited to middle-aged women. Therefore, this led to a decline rate of viewership in Asia. However, this decline was short-lived, and in 2009, Indonesia had its second wave with famous singers and groups like Wonder Girls, Super Junior, Girls Generation, and many more. At that time, the fanbase was much more significant as compared to the last wave. From then on, the wave kept having an impact on Indonesia. Before all this. Not many people know of South Korea and only had negative stereotypes of Korea due to the Korean war, hunger, and political instability (Lee, 2007). However. Due to Korean media being part of Pop-culture, lost are the images of old times. Due to globalization and diplomacy, the image of South Korea to the Indonesians is a modern and beautiful country with a high level of education. The issue right now is the influence it has on the Indonesians. There is a possibility whereby couples have higher expectations on their relationships as the dramas exaggerate romance and let out a delusional situation for couples in real life or how the standard of beauty is by “pretty boys and girls” who attained their current appearance through cosmetic surgery which many could not afford in Indonesia. So it may cause a decline in relationships as the bar is set higher in a person. Interest and Its Challenge Due to the popularity and the influence of the Korean Wave, Indonesia has gained interest that the entertainment industries in Indonesia started to debut some boy and girl groups just like in South Korea. There are groups like 211 Analyzing the practice of South Korea’s... (Vita Fitria, Haekal Adha Al Giffari, Daffa Al Falah, Muhammad Zul Razin) Smash (2010), Cherrybelle (2011) who are acceptable in Indonesians’ society. These groups debuted under a label or agency similar to South Korea. They were not just influenced by the music but by the way they were dressed as well. However, it may have its challenges as South Korean groups will always top the Indonesians due to their media and pop culture exposure. Also, it may diminish Indonesia’s traditions, like in music and how they dress, unless the Indonesians can come out with a unique twist that can stand out to the world and retain its traditions while innovating together with the Korean Wave. Knowledge and Its Challenge As a knowledge sphere meaning that people in the target country commenced gaining knowledge related to the advocate country, thus learning the language, seminar, exchange student, or the conduct of Korean studies are included (McClellan, 2004). One of the most prominent public diplomacy penetrated in a subtle way to Indonesia is establishing the Korean Language Exchange (KLE) organized by official institutions classified into two: KLE in educational and KLE in public institutional. The latter is open for Indonesian civil servants working in public institutions such as Ministries, while the former is for students (Usman, 2018). He mentioned three paths in KLE, the first at a university level, the second at the level of high school, while the last is at private institutional levels. The educational institution that provides Korean learning studies is classified to ease providing materials based on the needs, context, and function, but regardless of those things, it accentuates the impact of public diplomacy effect from the advocate country. The first private university in 1987 that formed the Center of Korean studies was Universitas Nasional (UNAS) to conduct Language studies, research, and seminars. When the language institution is interested in many Indonesians, its language will be used, studied, and spoken more, increasing its speakers’ level. The existence of South Korea, its recognition, and influence on Indonesia will appear more and lead Indonesian to look for other information about the advocate country. They can start to follow seminars about their studies, enter some classes, and even attempt to visit the advocate country to learn or satisfy their intellectual curiosity. Delving more profound about the advocate country is not always a one-way approach starting from the language, but it can start from its entertainment or information that language is still an essential part of knowledge as most of the program is still an essential part of knowledge by its language. It will be related to those things even in a small portion, such 212 Journal of Social Studies (JSS), Volume 17, Number 2, 2021: 197-220 as in entertainment, when Indonesian starts to practice Korean Language impersonating their Korean actor in Drama or music. It incites their curiosity and follows the institutional program about Korean, and the knowledge part plays an important role. King Sejong Institute Center Indonesia (KSIC) is an institute that provides language teaching and learning, and its objective is to establish the information gap about South Korea by providing scholarship, training, conferences, student exchange, and other media access. It has a responsibility to promote the culture of South Korea not only for Jakarta, as it is established in the capital of Indonesia, but for the whole of Indonesia. KSIC also invites other schools, communities, or universities for those attracted to learn about the history, language, culture, and habits of South Korean people (Hutagalung et al., 2019). The establishment of many institutions, whether public or private, reflects the public diplomacy effect of South Korea toward Indonesia. Its existence, which can attract some Indonesian who are attracted to learn, accentuates the interest of Indonesian in learning South Korean culture by delving deeper into its knowledge significantly, which the result is more knowledgeable about South Korea. Therefore, the advocate country’s existence will be more substantial as the target country tends to love and store the knowledge related to the advocate country in their cognitive areas. While maintaining and sustaining the knowledge of the target country about the advocate country, the challenges always occur as some classes in most schools are less materialized. Usman (2018) mentioned that well-trained native and non-native speaking teachers are less available. While the demand for studying the Korean language and cultures is increasing, the availability of experts or facilitators is necessary for a sufficient proportion to comply with the demand. If the institutions or public diplomacy actors, whether state or non-state, are less aware of this, the demand can decrease as people think their constraints are not solved, which makes them shift to other interest areas. Therefore, it is suggested that besides the higher exposure of the entertainment industry, the public diplomacy actor of South Korea should accommodate and manage collaboratively with the parties in Indonesia in developing and nurturing the educational platform about Korean studies to keep and increase the demand which is mainly as the result of entertainment portrayal in the media. 213 Analyzing the practice of South Korea’s... (Vita Fitria, Haekal Adha Al Giffari, Daffa Al Falah, Muhammad Zul Razin) Advocacy and Its Challenge Advocacy accentuates the admiration of the target country’s opinion toward the means of public diplomacy which is implemented by the advocate country whether by state or non-state actor in tandem with the collaboration with the target country (McClellan, 2004). It is worked by the means of influence from opinion leaders to their followers which it is from the advocate country public diplomacy actor. The main idea of Korean Wave was formed by the South Korean president with the establishment of PCNB. Its mission is continued to some agencies, especially entertainment industries. And when it comes to Indonesia, several Indonesian influencers or authorities are appointed as an ambassador to promote Korean culture, therefore, opinion leaders are constructed. Putri et al. (2019) mentioned that Indonesian teenagers are more likely to admire K-pop music instead of local industry. These claims are supported by Pratiwi Anwar (2019) as it is found in the prior research that easy-listening music, choreography, and the energetic dances, including good-looking artists appearance are the most attractive factors. The storylines which explore and exhibit the global exposure, and the gifted actors are dominated opinion in the prior research. Pramadya and Oktaviani (2016) also found that most of their respondents like Korean drama and music instead of other cultural exhibitions or products as they in average time took about 1-4 hours consuming the culture of South Korea. Trisni (2019) pointed out the power of virtual influence such as in YouTube and Twitter which support the Korean Wave as the promotion reaches most of Indonesian people. It is produced by the company CJ Entertainment and Media by involving most of its activities online such as concerts, press releases, video clips, and others (Pratiwi Anwar, 2019). The evidence showed the tremendous effort of the advocate country to create many opinion leaders which leads to the behavior alteration of the followers in relation with the products of public diplomacy. The teenagers or it is recognized as K-popers in Indonesia are more likely to idolize their idol fanatically and excessively. It is supported by Putri et al. (2019) as they mentioned that the fans tend to imitate the styles of Korean people and love what their idols love. They explained that it can reduce Indonesian teen’s feeling of admiration for their own culture in the sense of its music, cultures, or even languages. However, Putri et al. (2019) said it is the negative impact of Korean Wave. On the other hand, the researcher believes that due to the Korean culture penetration, Indonesian teenagers can learn, select, and mix the cultures due 214 Journal of Social Studies (JSS), Volume 17, Number 2, 2021: 197-220 to their global insight. The competitive cultures in entertainment also will push Indonesian entertainment industries to compete with the advocate country production as it raises the progressive culture of entertainment which is part of public diplomacy. Although the massive movement of Korean Wave is prominent, especially in the virtual platform, some challenges occur as Indonesian actually are not too in love with the Korean Wave in the current day compared to the first time after its launch (Pramadya & Oktaviani, 2016). It reflects that the vibes and performance of public diplomacy implementation is decreasing every year or the maintenance and innovation of new products in leveraging public diplomacy is not as significant as the first time after its launch. Trisni (2019) mentioned that lack of coordination between non-state actors and the government is one of the causes of decreasing popularity as the leaders’ transition within the advocate country really affects the smoothness of public diplomacy implementation in several countries. Therefore, the objective is slightly shifted when the coordination forms the government of the advocate country is not quite clear, it becomes pursuing the profit and economic interest without including the mission of public diplomacy implementation. Action and Its Challenge Action is the most crucial part when the public in the target country commences to assist and support the advocate country policy (McClellan, 2004). South Korean industrial and political positions are between Japan and China, which are involved with North Korea. Therefore, South Korea needs to cooperate and collaborate with middle powers in ensuring the stability of peace. Poetri et al. (2018) stated that Indonesia is quite assertive in its implementation as the middle power without declaring it publicly. It facilitates developed and developing countries through regional grouping, multilateral institutions, and international assistance. The practice as the middle power is supported by state and non-state actors indirectly with the influence of the advocate country. In supporting the advocate country policy, South Korea influences the key opinion leaders to be involved with the policy and favor. Hutagalung et al. (2019) mentioned that the advocate country establishes simple advocacy values, such as informing the policies in detail related to marriage visa, including its step-by- step to obtain and other related information. It is a practical approach to enlarge the connection between Indonesia and South Korea as when some people are doing cross-nation marriage, and the diplomacy link can be established more robust by those people, and the advocate country creates more people who are 215 Analyzing the practice of South Korea’s... (Vita Fitria, Haekal Adha Al Giffari, Daffa Al Falah, Muhammad Zul Razin) in favor with South Korea as a whole country as they should spend the rest of their life with the Korean people. Those are considered key leaders of opinion as they must be involved with Korean culture in their day-to-day life and know more about Korean culture, including its dissemination in the target county. Indonesia also has several institutions in which the outcome of its establishment could realize the real advocacy and action toward South Korea’s policy. Hutagalung et al. (2019) mentioned that King Sejong Institute Center Indonesia (KSIC) provides services for Indonesian to inquire related to marriage visa, including language class, cultural class, and the procedure to obtain an F-6 visa as the language certification that has been recognized by the government of South Korea which is deemed as the requirement of marriage visa admission. They added that KSIC also provides scholarships, student exchange, and training via various media access, which finally, the result of those programs, the advocate for South Korean policy will increase. KSIC has a great responsibility to promote the culture of South Korea in Indonesia. Another important institution is the Korean International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) which has a strategic objective in its implementation to promote public diplomacy through various projects to influence the target country (Jayanti et al., 2019). The International Association of Korean Studies (INAKOS) involves academic and non-academic parties to ensure and contribute to the positive effect within the relationship between Indonesia and South Korea in the present and future. It consists of graduate students from South Korean universities who want to apply their expertise to enhance the relationship between two countries. Therefore, it is vital to secure Korean studies among international communities (Journals, n.d.). In addition, it conducts various research, diplomacy programs, and seminars. However, its establishment reflects the prominent action of the people in the target country supporting the advocate country by shaping the relationship better, which is challenging to be implemented without supporting its policy. The appearance of the action becomes more apparent by the existence of the Indonesian Next Generation Journalist Network on Korea, as an aspiration platform of professional journalists in Indonesia to delve deeper into the understanding about Indonesia and Korea relationship (The Indonesian Next Generation Journalist Network on Korea, n.d.). Journalists have a significant influence as they write about the advocate country and can position their opinion to support it, which will persuade the public opinion of Indonesian people as the voice of journalists to a certain degree can evolve to the voice of people. 216 Journal of Social Studies (JSS), Volume 17, Number 2, 2021: 197-220 The implementation of public diplomacy includes shifting from advocacy to action stage and maintaining the action’s effectiveness from the target country to the advocate country. It should achieve the interest of the advocate country with the coordination and intervention of the advocate country government is less visible. Trisni et al. (2018) mentioned that less connectivity between the state actor direction and non-state actor direction in managing public diplomacy might lead the public diplomacy implementation to pursue an economic interest. Moreover, the institutions that are established to optimize the advocacy and public diplomacy implementation have fewer resources in its information about the relationship between South Korea and Indonesia, and the experts that can teach and guide the learners are less available, which at one day they can be the advocator for South Korea. Conclusion In conclusion, Public Diplomacy is a country’s foreign policy effort in generating a good relationship with a foreign country and creating a reasonable perception by convincing the foreign country about the eminence of the host country. South Korea possesses one of the most influential Public Diplomacy strategies and implementations in Indonesia. The penetration of the Korean Wave, especially the entertainment industry such as K-pop, K-drama series, and K-movies, has become the primary factor penetrating the global markets, including Indonesia. 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