K-drama star Park Bo-gum designated honorary ambassador for Korean tourism

The government has designated actor Park Bo-gum, lead star of Netflix's hit series "When Life Gives You Tangerines," as the honorary ambassador for Korean tourism. Following the designation, Park will promote the Korean tourism industry for a year in collaboration with the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism.

The announcement was made through the culture ministry's teaser video for the "Never Ending Korea" tourism campaign, uploaded to the ministry's YouTube channel, Imagine Your Korea, on Thursday morning.

Park follows a string of the country's hottest stars in the entertainment industry that have served in the role of tourism ambassador. Boy band BTS took the role in 2022, followed by actor Lee Jung-jae of the hit "Squid Game" (2021-) series in 2023 and girl group NewJeans in 2024.

As this year's honorary ambassador, Park will focus on promoting the personal aspects of Korean tourism to meet the latest travel trends in the industry. In recent times, tourists have chosen to stray from conventional tour packages and seek more private, tailored experiences that suit their individual tastes.

In the new teaser video, Park asks each tourist to become "the main character of the story" by experiencing the infinite charms of Korean tourism firsthand. Two more videos will be released on July 29, the day he is to be officially declared honorary ambassador by the culture ministry. The content will be a short film and a music video.

Park sang the theme song "On My Way" himself, according to the ministry. The song was produced by Kenzie's production team KZLab and will be available on streaming services starting Thursday.

The government has also teamed up with Netflix to parody the streaming giant's popular shows into promotional content for Korean tourism. A video utilizing scenes from "Squid Game" was released on July 3 and another one based on "All of Us Are Dead" (2022), which announced the production of its second season on Wednesday, will be released on Aug. 7.

Videos highlighting rural regions, such as the Jeolla and Gyeongsang areas, have also been created.

Viewers of K-content are twice as likely to visit Korea in person, according to Netflix. The new ad campaign will serve as an invitation to try real-life experiences in Korea, going beyond what appears on-screen.

The newly made promotional videos will be played in Times Square in New York and in 15 other cities around the world, including Tokyo, Beijing and Bangkok. The government will also target 20 major markets through partnerships with YouTube and Netflix.

"We shot over 85 percent of the eight promotional videos outside of Korea," said an official from the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism. "We wished to play our part in the advancement of tourism in the rural areas by introducing hidden gems to foreigners."

BY YOON SO-YEON [yoon.soyeon@joongang.co.kr]