The Voluntary Agency Network of Korea (VANK) has partnered with Arirang TV to launch a global campaign titled ‘Get Korea Right’ in celebration of the 80th anniversary of Korea’s liberation. The campaign aims to correct distorted information about Korea and spread accurate knowledge of its history and culture worldwide.
This campaign consists of a series of 10 videos, featuring nine key themes that represent Korea — Gyeongbokgung Palace, Taekkyeon (traditional martial art), Dokdo Island, Hanbok (traditional clothing), Kimchi, poet Yun Dong-ju, Hangeul (Korean alphabet), the Taegeukgi (national flag), and Korean history — along with a prologue video. Each piece goes beyond simple introduction to provide fact-based information and fact-check common misconceptions, offering viewers an easy yet precise understanding of Korea’s true identity.
Today, Korea wields significant cultural influence, supported by roughly 200 million Hallyu (Korean Wave) fans worldwide. However, despite this global interest, many foreigners still hold inaccurate or distorted views of Korea’s history and culture. For over 20 years, VANK has worked diligently to identify and correct errors about Korea found in textbooks, publications, online encyclopedias, and digital content around the world.
In particular, the rapid spread of generative AI presents a new challenge, as inaccurate information about Korea is being produced and disseminated more quickly and without sufficient scrutiny. Examples include AI-generated visuals that mistakenly depict Hanbok as Chinese Hanfu or Japanese Kimono, or distort Gyeongbokgung Palace as a floating structure like Osaka Castle, highlighting the risk of perpetuating false impressions among foreigners.
The ‘Get Korea Right’ campaign seeks to address this by delivering engaging, fact-based content to global Hallyu fans. Unlike mere listings of facts, it distinguishes itself through fact-checking videos that select and correct representative cases of misinformation for each topic. This approach breaks down misunderstandings and prejudices, delivering a deeper, more effective message of truth.
Among the clarifications are correcting the misconception that Gyeongbokgung Palace is a Buddhist temple, the mistaken belief that Taekkyeon is a weapon-based martial art, and the false claim that Korea illegally occupies Dokdo Island. The campaign also addresses errors such as Hanbok being called “Korean Kimono,” confusion of Kimchi with “Kimuchi” or “Pao Cai,” mischaracterizing poet Yun Dong-ju as a pro-Japanese student, conflating Hangeul with the Korean language, the incorrect claim that the Taegeukgi flag was made in China, and the historical distortion that Korea was a tributary state to China until the late 19th century.
Notably, the videos feature young researchers who serve as VANK’s digital diplomats, Korean ambassadors, and foreign Korean ambassadors sharing vivid firsthand experiences of Korea-related misinformation and presenting accurate facts. This adds authenticity and enhances the campaign’s credibility on the global stage. The campaign videos are being broadcast worldwide through Arirang TV and will also be uploaded to VANK’s official YouTube channel. The content is expected to help nearly 200 million Hallyu fans evolve from mere consumers of popular culture to global Korean ambassadors who properly understand and promote Korea’s history and culture.
Park Ki-tae, Director of VANK, remarked, “Many foreigners still have fragmented and distorted views of Korea, and in the AI era, misinformation spreads faster, becoming a barrier that obscures the truth.”
He added, “This project with Arirang TV is a practical campaign launched on the 80th anniversary of liberation, acknowledging that while Japan’s physical rule ended, historical distortions and cultural misunderstandings still remain in the international community and must be corrected.”
Park further emphasized, “At this meaningful moment, we must not merely celebrate past independence but continue a new independence movement by accurately presenting Korea’s identity based on truth to the world.”
He also said, “Correcting distorted Korean history worldwide and properly sharing Korea’s proud history is the true completion of liberation that independence activists dreamed of 100 years ago.”
VANK researcher Koo Seung-hyun stated, “These campaign videos will serve as essential educational materials, helping foreigners around the world understand Korea deeply and accurately beyond simple promotion.”
She added, “We especially hope international educational institutions and cultural exchange organizations will actively use this content to correct misunderstandings and widely share Korea’s true value.”