Enhancing National Image: Lessons from India and South Korea for Global Influence and Bilateral Cooperation

National image is the overall impression and evaluation of a country by people of other countries. It is a concrete opinion formed by the international public's perception of the country's strategic resources and strength. Irrespective of how scholars analyse the image of a nation, it is apparent that national image holds an important role in foreign policy decisions, economy, and national identity. As India and South Korea both prepare themselves to take a more active part in global affairs and enhance their status on the global stage, building a positive national image is becoming more crucial. Positive and negative images can impact a country's international influence, its economic interests and power internationally. Therefore, it becomes imperative that the two countries learn from each other's experiences with national image building and in effect strengthen their bilateral cooperation to new heights.