On Jan 24th, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism announced the results of the “2021 National Image” survey.
BTS was ranked first (15.1%) among Koreans who had a positive influence on Korea’s national image. It was followed by President Moon Jae-in (6.2%), BLACKPINK (6.1%) and Lee Min-ho (4.1%), confirming that Hallyu stars are helpful in enhancing the national image.
According to the results of this survey, the overall favorability towards Koreans was evaluated very positively with a score of 4.02/5. Regarding Koreans, the perception of being “kind” was the highest with 3.91 points, followed by “reliable” with 3.89 points and “open” with 3.75 points. Compared to the previous year, the overall favorability, reliability and openness were slightly improved while sincerity decreased.
Koreans who had a positive impact on Korea’s national image were BTS (15.1%), President Moon Jae-in (6.2%), BLACKPINK (6.1%), Lee Min-ho (4.1%), Son Heung-min (3.6%), Psy (2,2%), Bong Joon-ho (1.6%), Song Hye-kyo, Song Joong-ki and Ban Ki-moon (over 1.3%).
The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism said, “Hallyu stars account for the largest proportion with 6 names in the top 10. It has been confirmed that Hallyu stars are of great help in enhancing Korea’s national image.” The survey was conducted online on 12,500 people aged 16 or older in 24 countries, including Korea, from Sep 1st to 29th last year. The full report can be found on the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism’s website.
