India, April 5 -- Indians have a pretty good idea of what Japan is about. We are crazy for sushi, have grown up using Japanese electronic products, are familiar with such automobile brands as Toyota, Honda and, of course, Suzuki. Sony is far better known in India than most of our own brands.

On the other hand, until a few years ago, we knew very little about South Korea. I remember that phase well because in the early years of this century, the South Korean government invited me to visit, so that I could learn more about the country. I met newspaper editors, government officials, restaurateurs and even academics who had researched the origins of Korean food.

Did Indians known what kimchi was? They wanted to know. Were we familiar with G...