American Influence on the Development of Advertising in Korea, 1896∼2010

Abstract

American influence on the development of advertising in Korea dates back to the late 19th century when Korea reluctantly opened its door to the western powers. But the influence was not last long because of Japan’s annexation to Korea. After three years of American military governance from 1945 to 1948, the Republic of Korea was established as a sovereign albeit fledgling democracy. American influence on the growth of Korean advertising in Korea since then can be broken down broadly to three periods: 1882∼1910, 1910∼1945, 1945 to present. For all practical purpose, American influence on advertising in Korea began to be felt and became visible since the late 1960s when the two gigantic soft drink makers, Coke and Pepsi, and oil companies, Gulf and Caltex, entered the Korean market, launching a marketing warfare albeit modest in scope that necessitated advertising agency services. The tremendous economic growth achieved by Korea ushered in more multinationals to Korea in the 1980s, creating further competition in the market. Advertising market liberalization which was caused by US Chamber of Commerce in Korea following the 1988Seoul Olympics accelerated the entry of multinational advertising agencies and public relations firms to Korea thanks to the restoration of free speech. The points we covered in this paper will prove that the American influence has left an indelible impact on Korea’s advertising development.