To mark the 80th anniversary of Liberation and the March 1 Independence Movement, Cyber Diplomacy Organization VANK officially launched its new national policy communication platform Yeollim on March 1, 2025.
With the launch, VANK has kicked off its first major Yeollim project: a systematic review and improvement initiative for the official English-language websites and overseas promotional content of 17 local governments, including Seoul, Busan, Daegu, Incheon, Gwangju, Daejeon, Ulsan, Sejong, Gyeonggi, Gangwon, North Chungcheong, South Chungcheong, North Jeolla, South Jeolla, North Gyeongsang, South Gyeongsang, and Jeju.
The project aims to involve citizens in evaluating local governments’ global outreach and to propose practical strategies that strengthen the international competitiveness of each municipality.
Yeollim is designed as an open communication platform where government policies and promotional content are shared transparently with the public. It enables citizens to participate directly in policy discussions, exchange opinions, and contribute to raising the quality of policy initiatives.
Citizen participation in policy communication reflects a core value of Korean democracy and is essential for national development. Through Yeollim, VANK seeks to provide citizens with an active role in shaping policies and laying the groundwork for effective progress.
VANK also noted the importance of local governments’ English websites, which often serve as the first point of contact for international audiences. As foreign visitors rely on these sites for information and form impressions of cities through them, VANK plans to work with citizens to assess and improve these platforms so that cities can grow into globally competitive brands.
City promotion abroad is more than simple marketing—it directly shapes the national brand. Since a city’s competitiveness enhances national competitiveness, this project provides an opportunity to review Korea’s local government outreach in a comprehensive way and strengthen it.
VANK expects Yeollim to become a vital communication channel linking the government, the public, and municipalities. Local governments, it says, are now at a crucial moment where they must establish consistent city branding strategies that will resonate in the global arena.
Park Ki-tae, head of VANK, stated, “We will not rest on the achievement of surpassing 200 million K-culture fans worldwide in 2025. Hallyu should not stop at popular culture. Through Yeollim, we will extend Hallyu into the policy sphere and build a new ‘K-Policy Wave’ that inspires the world.”
He added, “This first local government project through Yeollim marks an important starting point. By reviewing and improving international promotional content, we will help cities develop into strong global brands. It will also be a meaningful opportunity to showcase city brands co-created by local governments and citizens on the world stage.”
Researcher Kwon So-young emphasized, “Through Yeollim, we aim to strengthen democratic values by creating a space where citizens can play a central role.” She added, “Yeollim will provide room for dialogue across culture, history, diplomacy, tourism, and education, making governance possible through active citizen participation.”
Youth researcher Koo Seung-hyun noted, “This project is an important starting point for reviewing and improving local governments’ international promotional content together with the public. It will enhance the effectiveness of these materials and highlight how city brands, as key components of national branding, strengthen both local and national identity.”
Alongside Yeollim, VANK also operates Woollim, a national policy proposal platform that allows citizens to directly suggest policy ideas. Both platforms reflect VANK’s goal of elevating outstanding policies into part of the broader Hallyu movement.