Starting next year, the government is said to have decided to stop providing budget support to a group that has been using the Internet to rectify what it sees as incorrect information about Korea in foreign countries. The group, the Voluntary Agency Network of Korea, or VANK for short, was launched in 1999 by a group of volunteers who call themselves “cyber diplomats.” Seeking to deal with Japan’s sovereignty claim to Korea’s Dokdo islets in 2005, the government gave W52 million (US$1=W1,320) to VANK, which had engaged in campaigns to let the world know that the territory belongs to Korea. That money increased to W80 million in 2006, but fell to W50 million in 2007 and to W30 million this year. Next year, there will be none.

The Academy of Korean Studies, which has been providing the support to VANK, said it has become difficult to support civilian groups since the total budget this year for efforts to publicize Korea abroad has been whittled down by 30 percent to W890 million next year, from W1.28 billion this year. The efforts of the AKS involve visiting foreign countries to correct erroneous information about Korea in textbooks there, developing and passing out materials to better understand Korea, and inviting textbook experts to Korea for training.

VANK has persuaded some 300 different sources of information, such as encyclopedias and websites, as well the U.S. State Department and CIA to carry both the “Sea of Japan” and “East Sea” names for the body of water separating Korea and Japan. It is said to have revived the “East Sea” name in around 1,000 foreign textbooks. This year, it has been forming one-on-one ties with members of MySpace to publicize Dokdo and Korea. Most people turn to VANK to check which sources are carrying incorrect information about Korea rather than referring to the AKS. There is no government agency that has done more than VANK, which is made up of 16,000 members who pay a monthly membership fee of W30,000 each. VANK has gained the trust of the Korean public and has done more to publicize Korea abroad than the AKS with a staff of 179 people and an annual budget of W18 billion.

The government has given W650 million in budgetary support this year to 74 civic groups that took part in the anti-U.S. beef protests that brought government business to a grinding halt earlier this year. It makes no sense to stop supporting a group that has been doing the government’s job with half a diplomat’s annual salary.