The Marmot points us toward this article in the Korean Times:

 The Korea Tourism Organization (KTO) and the
Corea Image Communication Institute (CICI) held a forum yesterday in
southern Seoul to collect opinions about a symbol with which to
establish the nation’s image and which will serve as a new growth
engine.

“While Korea has achieved extraordinary growth
in a short period, its image is not receiving the just evaluation it
deserves. According to a study conducted by national brand expert Simon
Anholt, Korea’s national brand value is a mere 26 percent of its gross
domestic product, leaving it in 25th place among 35 countries,” Kim
Jong-min, the KTO president of said.

     Anholt has been making the rounds of East Asian countries, helping them define their "national brands," which I take to mean some collection of symbols and bon mots that tourist agencies can use to lure travelers.  In February he popped up in China, advising on the most salable configuration of "Chinese culture."   This trivialization and commodification of "culture" has little to do with historical traditions, which, in the case of Korea as well as China, given the significance of  Confucianism, would fundamentally resist defining "culture" in terms of the global tourism market, or any market for that matter.  Confucianism may have some contemporary relevance for big, political questions, but "branding" Korea is a most un-Confucian practice.

    Perhaps that is OK.  But we should just be clear about the extent to which modern Korea has left its Confucian traditions behind, as made evident in the discussion about the particulars of the new, globally-oriented Korean "brand:"

 

“In addition, Korea’s external image is that of
a vibrant, attractive and polite country. However, this is a general
image of Korea that has existed for the past decade. The national
slogan that has been promoted during the past few years, `Dynamic
Korea,’ is within the same context,” he said.

  He pointed out that “Dynamic Korea,” is the
recently enacted national slogan but how it is to be delivered is still
unclear. “In contrast, there are more symbols which are linked to the
`Land of the Morning Calm,’ which was used in the past, indicating that
there are problems with consistency and suitability,” the professor
said.
 

  Kim said the link between the traditional
ideology of the “Land of the Morning Calm” and the future-oriented
national identity of “Dynamic Korea” is weak, as the former relates
to the existential essence while the latter is an action-oriented
characteristic.
 

  “Consequently, in order to garner the consensus
of the people and pan-government agreement, an interim identity needs
to be developed,” he stressed.
 

 

Hong Eun-hee, a professor at Myongji University, said “Dynamic Korea” implies coexistence of the past, present and future.
 
 

  “We need a spiritual value that links past,
present and future all together. I’d like to suggest `perseverance’ and
`passion’ as the link,” she said.

      It seems that "calm" does not sell; so, the national image of "dynamism" must be brought to the fore.  "Calm" is an "existential essence" (really? or just an old slogan?) which must be superseded by "action oriented characteristic."  If you want to get world travelers, and especially wealthy Chinese tourists looking for a good time, best to present the nation as "action oriented" and not "calm," and forget about those bothersome, old "existential essences." 

     Maybe Confucianism might still be useful for the "interim identity."  You know, "action oriented" Korean Confucians: guys with wispy beards in track suits, or maybe business suits, ready to jump right in and find new ways to squeeze profits out of the world economy.   They could be shown actively running – toward the homogenized global cultural future and away from the Confucian past.