Soft powerhouse

Filipinos take pride in natural hospitality, but South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol may find himself getting an extra warm welcome during his two-day state visit here.

- ANA MARIE PAMINTUAN

You know the reason: in the 13 years since a South Korean president last came visiting, Pinoys have discovered the delights of K-pop, K-drama, tteokbokki, bingsu and samgyeopsal.

These days, millennials and GenZs are sporting Korean hairstyles, dressing (and dancing and singing) like BTS and Jennie, and using Korean beauty products.

Without grabbing anyone's maritime territory and alienating trading partners through economic blackmail, South Korea has conquered the world, through the projection of soft power.

It has also become an industrial and economic powerhouse not yet on the scale of the second and third largest economies, China and Japan, but closing in, if the Koreans sustain their innovation and growth trajectories.

And to think that the Korean War armistice was signed only in 1953, with the two Koreas still technically at war today.

Perhaps the bloody civil war and the continuing threat posed by a heavily armed enemy sitting just across the demilitarized zone has developed a strong love of country among the South Koreans.

We saw dramatic, only-in-Korea manifestations of this patriotism in 1998 during the Asian financial crisis, when about 3.5 million Koreans voluntarily donated gold items in their possession to repay their debt to the International Monetary Fund. Some 227 tons of gold, valued at $2.13 billion, were donated.

Having a national enemy probably also helped foster a national urgency to excel - something that requires the development of human capital, through quality education and health care, and support for creativity and innovation.

The highly competitive education system has created mental health problems among Korean youth. But I'd take this problem anytime to seeing our 15-year-old students landing at the bottom in international assessments on reading comprehension, math and science literacy.