Tourism Organization Promotes Korean Tourism Worldwide Through K-Hip Hop

Promotional video for Korean tourism in the Seoul area. (Photo by Korea Tourism Organization)

[Asia Economy Reporter Donghyun Choi] The Korea Tourism Organization announced on the 1st that it has completed production of a new Korean tourism viral promotional video titled 'Feel the Rhythm of Korea Season 2,' which blends K-hip hop with traditional Korean folk songs, and will begin full-scale promotion.

This video showcases the traditional and modern charms of various regions in Korea to the world through K-hip hop. The filming locations include a total of 10 cities: Gyeongju·Andong, Daegu, Suncheon, Seosan, Busan·Tongyeong, Yangyang·Gangneung, and Seoul. The video consists of eight parts. Famous Korean hip hop labels Hi-Lite Music and AOMG participated, creating city-specific tracks that combine K-hip hop with folk song choruses.

Looking at each video, the Gyeongju·Andong segment uses the folk song 'Ganggangsullae' with a combination of Ganggangsullae dance, lion dance, and Ogomu (a traditional percussion performance). The Yangyang·Gangneung segment focuses on surfing and camping at the beach, which have recently become trends on the East Coast. The Daegu segment highlights various alley cultures, the Suncheon segment depicts traditional Korean lifestyles, and the Seosan segment captures the lives of West Coast mudflat residents, recently famous for 'Bajirak Budae' and 'Mud Max.' Additionally, the Busan·Tongyeong segment centers on healing by the seaside, and the Seoul segment contrasts modern Seoul with traditional Seoul, expressing diverse multifaceted charms through K-hip hop in each video.

The eight viral promotional videos, each about 1 minute and 30 seconds long, are scheduled to be uploaded on the Korea Tourism Organization’s official YouTube channel at 5 p.m. on the 3rd. The tracks used in each video will be available on the global music platform Spotify around mid-September.

Oh Choongseop, head of the Korea Tourism Organization’s Brand Marketing Team, said, “This promotional video is the first attempt at ‘Sonic Branding’ tourism marketing, which evokes regions through music in collaboration with famous domestic hip hop musicians. We hope that by producing attractive content that harmonizes tradition and modernity of each region in video form to strengthen local branding, it will also contribute to revitalizing the regional tourism industry after COVID-19.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.