Name: 為什麼說 K-Pop 是韓國的政治武器？ (Why Is K-Pop the Political Weapon of Korea?)
Uploaded: 2025-03-05T00:45:08.000Z
Duration: 19 min 18 s

We tend to think that the world is organized around a small group of enormous superpowers that pull the strings of everything.

我們往往認為，世界是圍繞著一小撮超級大國組織起來的，它們操縱著一切。

The United States, China, the United Kingdom and maybe until recently Russia.

美國、中國、英國，也許直到最近還有俄羅斯。

But what if I told you that there are much smaller, seemingly insignificant countries that suddenly achieve gigantic influence on a global scale?

但是，如果我告訴你，有一些小得多的、看似微不足道的國家，突然在全球範圍內獲得了巨大的影響力，你會怎麼想？

What if we were to talk about countries that are neither the richest in the world, nor do they necessarily have nuclear weapons, large armies or even a large population, but have nevertheless managed to carve out a niche for themselves on the international geopolitical chessboard?

如果我們來談談那些既不是世界上最富有的國家，也不一定擁有核武器、龐大的軍隊甚至眾多人口，但卻設法在國際地緣政治棋盤上為自己開闢出一片天地的國家呢？

Well, VisualPolitik viewers, in this video we are going to give you several examples of countries that, despite being relatively small, are breaking all the molds.

好了，VisualPolitik 的觀眾們，在這段視頻中，我們將為您舉出幾個國家的例子，這些國家雖然相對較小，但卻打破了所有的模式。

But first, it would not be out of place to shine a light on the ultimate key to its renewed influence.

但首先，我們不妨來看看其影響力得以恢復的最終關鍵所在。

We are talking about what is known as soft power.

And take note, this could be much more important than you might imagine.

請注意，這可能比你想象的要重要得多。

You could say that this type of strategy, or power, consists of being able to impact, influence and persuade people around the world to achieve certain objectives.

可以說，這種戰略或權力包括能夠影響、左右和說服世界各地的人們實現某些目標。

In order to do this, elements such as culture, values, innovation, sports, diplomacy and even philanthropy are used.

為此，我們使用了文化、價值觀、創新、體育、外交甚至慈善等元素。

It is the opposite concept of hard power, which is exercised through coercion, the use of force or threats or economic blackmail, a type of power in which, not surprisingly, the great powers have many advantages.

這是與硬實力相反的概念，硬實力是通過脅迫、使用武力或威脅或經濟訛詐來行使的，在這種實力類型中，大國擁有許多優勢，這一點不足為奇。

In other words, in summary, while hard power depends on force, soft power depends on persuasion and attraction.

換句話說，總之，硬實力依靠武力，軟實力則依靠說服和吸引。

Let's see, as far as influence and military presence go, we have already talked about them in a lot of videos.

讓我們看看，關於影響力和軍事存在，我們已經在很多視頻中討論過了。

這是 VisualPolitik 上反覆出現的主題。

However, what we have rarely is how any country can expand its relevance and international influence by resorting to persuasion.

然而，我們很少看到的是，任何國家如何通過說服來擴大其相關性和國際影響力。

This can also be a real lifeline for the country's companies and products.

這也是該國企業和產品的真正生命線。

Many countries are already developing this line of work.

許多國家已經在開展這項工作。

So, without further ado, shall we find out which countries are able to compete head-to-head with the major powers?

那麼，話不多說，我們來看看哪些國家能夠與大國正面競爭？

Well, VisualPolitik viewers, we are going to look at every aspect of this new approach.

好了，VisualPolitik 的觀眾朋友們，我們將對這種新方法的方方面面進行探討。

We are going to illustrate it with concrete examples.

我們將用具體的例子來說明這一點。

THE EMERGENCE OF K-POWER One of the countries that has most increased its international influence and improved its external image in recent times is, can you guess?

韓國力量的崛起 近來，國際影響力和對外形象提升最快的國家之一是什麼？

Here on VisualPolitik we have already talked about this country in several videos.

在 VisualPolitik 上，我們已經在多個視頻中談到過這個國家。

We've talked about political, economic, military and even social issues.

我們談論過政治、經濟、軍事甚至社會問題。

But what we've never is how this country has become one of the most popular countries in the world.

但我們從未想過的是，這個國家是如何成為世界上最受歡迎的國家之一的。

I'm sure you've heard about K-pop or Korean series that have taken Netflix by storm, such as Squid Game.

我相信你一定聽說過風靡 Netflix 的 K-pop 或韓國電視劇，比如《烏賊遊戲》。

But long before all that, before Gangnam Style became the most watched video on YouTube, before groups like BTS and Blackpink conquered the world and before the movie Parasite won four Oscars, the so-called Korean Wave had already conquered the Asian continent.

但早在這一切之前，在《江南 Style》成為 YouTube 上點擊率最高的視頻之前，在 BTS 和 Blackpink 等組合征服世界之前，在電影《寄生獸》獲得四項奧斯卡獎之前，所謂的韓流已經征服了亞洲大陸。

Maybe even some of you, as a result of all of this, have been encouraged to try Korean food, a cuisine that is also becoming more and more popular.

也許你們中的一些人也是以被鼓勵去嘗試韓國菜，因為韓國菜也越來越受歡迎。

It may not seem like much to us, but isn't it surprising that a country like this is having such a global impact?

對我們來說，這似乎不算什麼，但這樣一個國家卻能產生如此大的全球影響，難道不令人驚訝嗎？

Have you ever thought, for example, about the cars that systematically appear in Korean TV series?

例如，您是否想過韓國電視劇中經常出現的汽車？

But they are almost always either Hyundai, Genesis or Kia.

但它們幾乎總是現代、創世紀或起亞。

We could almost talk about a mega ad for one of this country's most important industries.

我們幾乎可以說是為這個國家最重要的產業之一做了一個大型廣告。

And of course, we're not just talking about cars.

當然，我們談論的不僅僅是汽車。

But that's just one aspect of this huge global exhibition.

但這只是這個大型全球展覽的一個方面。

It's a kind of exposure that, in the case of South Korea, has not come out of nowhere.

就韓國而言，這種曝光率並非憑空而來。

We could go so far as to say that it has been part of a state's strategy for several decades now.

我們甚至可以說，幾十年來，它一直是國家戰略的一部分。

You see, many experts believe that government support was key in the Hallyu, the Korean wave of cultural content that emerged in the 1990s.

許多專家認為，政府的支持是韓流（20 世紀 90 年代興起的韓國文化內容浪潮）的關鍵所在。

For example, in 1998, then-president Kim Dae-sung announced the first plan to support the Hallyu industry.

例如，1998 年，時任總統金大中宣佈了首個扶持韓流產業的計劃。

The aim was to boost the cultural industry to make it a great showcase for the country.

其目的是促進文化產業的發展，使其成為國家的一個重要展示窗口。

In just three years, the public budget allocated to the cultural industry tripled.

在短短三年內，分配給文化產業的公共預算增加了兩倍。

The success was so resounding that the next government, that of Roh Moo-hyun, continued to increase investment in the cultural industry.

由於取得了巨大成功，下一屆盧武鉉政府繼續增加對文化產業的投資。

In fact, several laws were also established, as well as government agencies, aimed exclusively at promoting this cultural content both inside and outside the country.

事實上，還制定了若干法律，並設立了政府機構，專門負責在國內外推廣這種文化內容。

Let's see, yes, I know what you're thinking.

讓我想想，是的，我知道你在想什麼。

If it were as easy as putting money on the table, many countries could do the same, right?

如果這就像把錢放在桌子上一樣簡單，許多國家也能做到，不是嗎？

In fact, the truth is that, in this case, the key to success of the Korean wave was not really the economic contribution of the government, but above all that the process was totally directed and managed by private companies.

事實上，在這種情況下，韓流成功的關鍵並不在於政府的經濟貢獻，而首先在於這一進程完全由私營公司指導和管理。

And production companies focused on making profits.

That is to say that, in this case, the government played a similar role to that of the State of Israel in the promotion of technology companies, as we recently told you on Visual Economic.

也就是說，在這種情況下，政府在促進技術公司發展方面發揮了與以色列國類似的作用，正如我們最近在《視覺經濟》節目中向大家介紹的那樣。

That is, it put up the money to support the industry but gave it all the control.

也就是說，它拿出錢來支持該行業，但把所有控制權都交給了它。

他們必須靠自己的力量去競爭。

That is, they had to make as much money as possible.

也就是說，他們必須儘可能多地賺錢。

And so, little by little, the state was nurturing a sector that could bring them a lot of international visibility.

就這樣，國家一點一點地培育出了一個能為他們帶來巨大國際知名度的行業。

Culture has surfaced as an indispensable element of a nation's competitiveness and economic resource that produces added value.

文化已成為一個國家競爭力和產生附加值的經濟資源中不可或缺的要素。

To keep in pace with this changing global environment, Korea has adopted cultural diplomacy as a new pillar of the country's diplomatic makeup. 2010 Diplomatic White Paper of Korea.

為了適應不斷變化的全球環境，韓國將文化外交作為國家外交構成的新支柱。2010 年韓國外交白皮書》。

And believe me when I tell you that they take it quite seriously.

相信我，我告訴你，他們是非常認真的。

For example, the South Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs conducts research on the impact of Hallyu in each country and, based on the results, promotes fan activities and cultural events.

例如，韓國外交部對韓流在各國的影響進行研究，並根據研究結果促進粉絲活動和文化活動。

Another example is that the government is sponsoring 20-30% of a huge $1 billion investment fund aimed at growing and exporting Korean pop culture.

另一個例子是，政府贊助了 10 億美元鉅額投資基金中的 20% 至 30%，該基金旨在發展和出口韓國流行文化。

As you can see, this has not come about by chance.

正如您所看到的，這一切並非偶然。

Well, one of the objectives of this strong commitment has been to improve South Korea's international image.

那麼，這一堅定承諾的目標之一就是改善韓國的國際形象。

A country that, since its foundation in 1948, went through a devastating war and a succession of military dictatorships until the 1990s.

自 1948 年建國以來，這個國家經歷了一場毀滅性的戰爭和接連不斷的軍事獨裁統治，直至 20 世紀 90 年代。

Dictatorships that obviously consistently violated human rights and contributed to the country's rather negative image abroad.

獨裁政權顯然一直在侵犯人權，並導致該國在國外的形象相當負面。

For a long time, South Korea was seen as a kind of mega-factory run by sat-raps and huge family business conglomerates that were supported by corrupt politicians.

長期以來，韓國一直被視為由腐敗政客支持的衛星奸商和龐大家族企業集團經營的大型工廠。

As you can imagine, that was not the best calling card.

可以想象，這並不是最好的名片。

So, when democracy arrived in the country known as the Land of Morning Calm, politicians not only had to get down to work to clean up the institutions, but they also had to work hard to improve the country's image at home and abroad.

是以，當民主來到這個被稱為 "晨曦之國 "的國家時，政治家們不僅要著手清理機構，還要努力改善國家在國內外的形象。

And there you have it, no sooner said than done.

There are a couple of facts that can help us understand the enormous success they have had.

有幾個事實可以幫助我們理解他們所取得的巨大成功。

For example, according to the World Tourism Organization, between 1995 and 2019, which is the latest pre-pandemic data, the number of tourists received by South Korea grew by 367%, from about 3.75 million to almost 18 million.

例如，根據世界旅遊組織的數據，從 1995 年到 2019 年（這是大流行前的最新數據），韓國接待的遊客數量增長了 367%，從約 375 萬人增加到近 1800 萬人。

Thus, tourism is becoming a huge and entirely new source of income.

是以，旅遊業正在成為一個巨大的、全新的收入來源。

Another fact that demonstrates the influence that this cultural commitment has had is the number of people who suddenly decide to study their language.

另一個可以證明這種文化承諾所產生的影響的事實是，有多少人突然決定學習自己的語言。

We can look, for example, at the number of students who sign up for official exams every year.

例如，我們可以看看每年報名參加正式考試的學生人數。

And take note, the number of topic applicants has increased by almost 14,000% between 1997 and 2019.

需要注意的是，從 1997 年到 2019 年，申請課題的人數增加了近 14000%。

In 2019 there were some 400,000 applicants, almost four times more than those who signed up, for example, for the official DELE, Spanish exams.

2019 年的申請人數約為 40 萬，幾乎是報名參加官方西班牙語考試（DELE）人數的四倍。

And let's not forget that Korean is a minority language globally, with just over 80 million native speakers, making those figures a real milestone.

不要忘了，韓語在全球是一種少數民族語言，母語使用者僅有 8000 多萬人，是以這些數字是一個真正的里程碑。

And as a comparison, it should be noted that Spain spends 170 million euros every year on the Cervantes Institute.

與此相比，西班牙每年在塞萬提斯學院上的開支為 1.7 億歐元。

Basically on its head office, branches and public employees.

基本上是其總部、分支機構和公職人員。

An institution whose essential function is to promote Spanish around the world.

一個以在全世界推廣西班牙語為基本職能的機構。

With the data in hand, South Korea's commitment to private enterprise and competitive content has clearly been much more successful.

有了這些數據，韓國對私營企業和競爭性內容的承諾顯然要成功得多。

Especially if we also take into account that the Spanish language has the second highest number of native speakers and is much, much more influential in the world.

尤其是考慮到西班牙語的母語使用者人數位居世界第二，在世界上的影響力也要大得多。

The fact is that all this impact obviously translates into a huge extra source of revenue for the South Korean economy.

事實上，所有這些影響顯然為韓國經濟帶來了巨大的額外收入來源。

It is also a way to promote South Korea's political image to the rest of the world, which, in addition to increasing trade, diplomatic and political exchanges, could be particularly important in the event of a conflict, with North Korea, for example.

這也是向世界其他國家宣傳韓國政治形象的一種方式，除了增加貿易、外交和政治交流外，在與北韓等國發生衝突時，這一點可能尤為重要。

It is clear that the things we know and value matter much more to us.

顯然，我們所瞭解和重視的事物對我們來說更為重要。

It is a strategy that countries like Israel are now also following.

以色列等國現在也在遵循這一戰略。

Have you noticed that there is more and more Israeli content on streaming platforms?

您是否注意到，流媒體平臺上有越來越多的以色列內容？

Well, take note, because its implications are more important than we might think.

那麼，請注意，因為它的影響比我們想象的要重要得多。