The international political landscape is shifting due to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the intensifying U.S.-China competition. Given the current rift in the liberal international order and the “blocization” of values, middle powers are often forced to take sides. Such changes in international political environment call for adjustment of public diplomacy strategies that utilize soft power resources. What role can public diplomacy can play amid the deepening blocization following the conflicts between super powers? What public diplomacy strategy should the Republic of Korea pursue and what are its implications? In addition, the phenomenon of the ‘Korean Wave (Hallyu)’, such as the global craze for BTS and Squid Game, has diversified the agents of Korean diplomacy. Therefore, how can the government and the private sector work together to increase the influence of the country’s smart power globally?