The Сontribution of Digital Diplomacy to the National Image Construction of the Republic of Korea Through Social Media (the Case of Global Korea Scholarship Holders and Alumni)

This paper aims to identify the fulfillment of public diplomats' roles by students and alumni of the Global Korea Scholarship (GKS) program through the publication of their experiences regarding life in Korea on social media. This paper employs a mixed-method approach, mainly focusing on qualitative analysis. The main steps of this paper are examining available materials on the topic of higher education and social media as public diplomacy tools, conducting personal interviews with influencers, analyzing the information obtained through the interviews, and analyzing the content posted by these influencers. One of the key elements of this research is the focus on government-based Korea promotion programs, especially Korea Allimi and Global Seoul Mate (GSM). Exploring these programs not only provides insights into the practical strategies associated with South Korea's promotion but also helps to offer recommendations for improving digital diplomacy there. The findings of this study highlight the growing importance of social media in public diplomacy and the increasing investments of the South Korean government in that sphere. In addition to the academic contribution, the analysis of interviews provides the research paper with the information about internal organization of Korea promotion programs, their disadvantages, and content creation aspects that can improve the effectiveness of image building.