Conglomerates Samsung, Hyundai and LG are the first things that spring to the minds of both Koreans and foreigners when the word “Korea” is mentioned.

In a survey of 502 local and foreign people by the Corea Image Communication Institute on Korea’s image, Korea as a divided country was the second most frequent response while K-pop came in third.

The CICI survey participants were also asked what was the biggest thing to put Korea on the map in the year 2012 and the highest response from both groups was Psy, who received more than 70 percent of the votes from both Koreans and foreigners.

On the question of how long the spread of hallyu would continue, 35 percent of non-Koreans said more than 10 years, whereas the top response among Koreans was four to six years.

More than 70 percent of the respondents claimed to believe that “content improvement” is the biggest reason behind hallyu’s success worldwide.

The survey results will be presented during the CICI Korea 2013 gala event which will be held at Grand Intercontinental Hotel’s Grand Ballroom in Samseong-dong, Seoul, on Jan. 15.

Also at the event, Psy will be awarded the Korea Image Stepping Stone Award for his contributions to promoting K-pop culture around the globe, while YouTube will be recognized with the Korea Image Stepping Stone Bridge Award for helping enhance Korea’s image internationally. Pianist Lee Hyuk, the winner of the 8th International Chopin Competition for Young Pianists, will receive the Korea Image Budding Youth Award.

By Julie Jackson (juliejackson@heraldcorp.com)