The outgoing Ambassador of the Republic of Korea to Uganda, Park Sungsoo, has indicated that his country is determined to intensify soft power approaches to expand his country’s global influence.
Speaking during celebrations to mark this year's Korea National and Armed Forces day, which were held at Sheraton Kampala hotel on Tuesday October 14, 2025, Ambassador Park noted that his country is eager to boost its attractiveness through a range of soft power or persuasive programs dubbed K-initiatives.
“The new Korean administration is expanding its global K-Initiatives, sharing Korea’s soft power and expertise— from our vibrant culture to cutting-edge technology. Through these initiatives, we look forward to deeper friendship and stronger partnership between Korea and Uganda".
Already, Uganda is one of the biggest beneficiary countries of Korea’s soft power program with projects worth hundreds of millions of dollars across different sectors.
Since the Asian country reopened its embassy in Uganda in 2011, it has trained hundreds of civil servants both in Korea and in Uganda under the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA).
At the cultural front, the growing adoption of Korean movies and K-pop music in Ugandan society is evidence to the success of their approach.
Every year, the Embassy of Korea organizes a K-pop music festival that attracts hundreds of young participants mostly from secondary schools and universities.
In the sports arena, the Republic of Korea has intensified efforts to promote the Taekwondo sport by training Ugandan tutors, supporting national competitions and sponsoring Ugandans to attend international Taekwondo competitions .
In the economic development sphere, the Republic of Korea has programs in almost all aspects of social development ranging from roads, education, healthcare, micro-credit and financial literacy all of which are having tangible impacts on the lives of millions of Ugandans.
Despite being late entrants into the soft diplomacy arena, compared to most western countries, the Republic of Korea, has arguably the largest footprint in the development arena across Uganda at the moment.
The Deputy Speaker of Parliament Thomas Tayebwa, who officiated at last Tuesday’s celebrations, hailed the government of Korea for the generous assistance it has given Uganda over the recent couple of years.
Tayebwa also hailed the Korean spirit of creativity, unity and resilience to which many attribute Korea’s runaway success, and urged Ugandans to embrace them for harmonious development.