South Korea\'s brand estimated at $1.9tr

South Korea as a brand has been valued at US$1.9 trillion, the ninth highest among 39 countries surveyed, a report said. The value of each country was decided partly through a survey of 2,000 people from 60 countries that reflected their perception of each country, according to the Institute for Industrial Policy Studies. The volume of exports by each country was also considered. The report showed the brand value of the United States was ranked the highest with $13.6 trillion, followed by Germany with $8.3 trillion. The two countries were trailed by Britain, Japan, China, France, Canada and the Netherlands, in that order. Among South Korean cities, capital Seoul's brand value was evaluated the highest at 396.8 trillion won ($373.8 billion) among the seven largest metropolitan areas here, followed by Busan, also the second-largest city in terms of population, with an estimated value of 85.8 trillion won, the report said. In terms of private firms, Samsung Electronics Co., the world's largest supplier of computer memory chips and smartphones, was ranked No. 1 for the 14th consecutive year with an estimated value of 116 trillion won, followed by Hyundai Motor Co. with a brand valued worth 30 trillion won.