1) Objective: The Federation of Korean Industries (FKI), a business association representing 450 of Korea's largest corporations, established its first overseas office in New York in 1995 to expand the commitment of the Korean private sector to Korea's national policy of segyehwa (globalization). In cooperation with the Korean Chamber of Commerce and Industry in the USA, Inc. (KOCHAM), FKI retained KWR International, Inc. (KWR) in 1996 to assist in developing strategies and activities to achieve four broad objectives:

• A) To gain a more comprehensive understanding of how Korea, Korean products and Korean corporations are perceived by key U.S. constituencies;

• B) To generate the data necessary to develop the strategic and institutional framework to define key messages, priorities and an organizational structure to effectively communicate FKI and KOCHAM's institutional objectives in the U.S.;

• C) To expand FKI and KOCHAM's network of contacts, to strengthen it's existing relationships, and to better service their member firms in the U.S.; and

• D) To begin disseminating information on Korea to U.S. journalists and opinion-leaders.

2) Solution: To achieve the stated objectives, KWR worked with FKI and KOCHAM to design and implement an integrated outreach program based on the results of an in-depth survey conducted by KWR in the fall of 1996. It generated quantitative and qualitative data from over 200 U.S. opinion-leaders representing a) Business, Government & Academia; b) Trade & Industry and c) the General Public and Media. A press release was disseminated to U.S. and Korean journalists and opinion leaders and approximately 3-4,000 copies of the final report were distributed in the United States, Korea and other countries in March of 1997. Extensive international media coverage was generated.

Six weeks later a seminar was held in New York, attended by over 70 U.S. and Korean journalists, executives and government officials who gathered to discuss Korea's public image. After a series of speeches and a panel discussion by high-level Korean and U.S. representatives, a workshop was held and representatives from each of the eight working-groups came before the audience to summarize the discussion at their table.
This initiative was followed-up over the course of the year by numerous meetings and conversations with U.S. journalists, executives and government officials interested in receiving information on Korea -- and by other Korea-oriented organizations -- who sought access to the network of U.S. opinion leaders who had participated in this project.

In November of 1997, FKI/KOCHAM sponsored another seminar, also organized by KWR, which addressed the need for Korean firms to pay more attention to corporate citizenship initiatives. This event was funded under a grant from the Ford Foundation, and followed a similar format as the FKI/KOCHAM opinion leader seminar. Additional media coverage was generated through this same network.

To this day, FKI/KOCHAM and KWR continue to receive requests from, and to expand their relationships with, U.S. and Korean journalists and opinion leaders, both from major national publications, as well as grassroots publications and broadcast outlets, all over the world.

3) Methodology: In the fall of 1996, KWR conducted a survey of key U.S. opinion-leaders representing: 1) Business, Government & Academia, 2)Trade & Industry, and 3)General Public and Media. This survey as-sessed their perceptions on Korea, Korean Products and Corporations. Approximately 4,000 questionnaires were mailed to targeted individuals across the U.S., generating over 200 responses detail-ing a wide range of views on 185 Korea-related issues. Respondents included Corporate CEO's, chairmen and senior executives, several fomer ambassadors and numerous prominent journalists, attorneys, bankers, federal, state and local government officials, business managers and financial and policy analysts.

After undertaking a quantitative review, more than fifty comprehensive follow-up interviews were conducted to further explore key issues and to nurture the expansion of FKI/KOCHAM's international network. These interviews were conducted over the telephone (averaging 30-45 minutes each) and by e-mail, depending on the preference of the respondent.

A draft report containing analysis, conclusions and recommendations was prepared and presented to FKI/KOCHAM. Following intensive discussions, three versions of the final report were prepared: 1) a comprehensive version for internal use and evaluation; 2) an abridged version for U.S. opinion leaders; and 3) an abridged version containing a Korean translation of key highlights, along with a section on suggested public relations activities for FKI and KOCHAM members, and other Korean firms and organizations. Approximately, 3-4,000 copies of these reports were distributed in Korea, the U.S. and other countries.

In addition to the media coverage generated, two opinion pieces were prepared summarizing the findings of the survey and other relevant initiatives. Both were released by Bridge News, and reprinted in the Journal of Commerce and American Chamber of Commerce in Korea Journal. Numerous publications drew upon the data presented in the survey and seminar. Publications that directly covered these events include: Bloomberg Business News, the Rushford Report, Asia Pacific Economic Review, Business Facilities, Korea Economic Daily, Korea Herald, Joong-ang Ilbo, and Chosun Ilbo. Other journalists who participated in the seminar and workshops and who continue to interact with FKI/KOCHAM/KWR include: Forbes, Fortune, Barrons, Businessweek, Newsweek and numer-ous Korean newspapers, and radio and television stations. Additional inquiries have come from publications around the world ranging from several European publications to small local newspapers (i.e., The Augusta Chronicle and The Bergen Record, etc.), internet-based media (i.e., MSNBC, etc.) and trade (i.e. Ward's Automotive, Electronics Buyers News and Appliance Magazine, etc.), business and financial publications.

4) Results: The FKI/KOCHAM survey and follow-up seminar generated extremely positive results and was -- and continues to be -- highly praised, utilized and quoted by a wide range of entities including U.S. and Korean journalists, government officials, business execu-tives, academics and other relevant individuals and organizations from both countries.

In addition to serving as a source book that has helped to define, and to promote a greater awareness of, Korea-related issues, this program expanded FKI/KOCHAM's international network through the identification of new con-tacts and by strengthening existing relationships with other Korea-oriented organization in the U.S. and Korea.

Finally, by defining basic PR principles so that they could be easily understood by Korean managers and government officials -- who are largely unfamiliar with the discipline -- FKI/KOCHAM were able to develop a more comprehensive understanding of the need for communications-oriented activities within their own organizations. This has proved invaluable in their ongoing internal planning efforts. It has also helped to promote a greater awareness in Korea and among FKI/KOCHAM member firms of the need, and potential value than can be gained through more intensive efforts to "confront their public image".