"Combining Joseon Hip-hop with Folk Songs Excites MZ Generation and Foreigners"

Interview with Oh Choongseop, Head of Brand Marketing Team at Korea Tourism Organization

Tourism Promotional Video 'Feel the Rhythm of Korea'
Achieves Blockbuster Success on YouTube for 2 Consecutive Years
'Mud Max,' a Parody of the Movie 'Mad Max'
Surpasses 15 Million Views Within 2 Weeks of Release
Combines Local Alleys, Art, Culture, and Music

A scene from the Korea Tourism Organization's promotional video for Korean tourism, "Feel the Rhythm of Korea" Season 2, "Seosan Edition" (Mud Max).

[Asia Economy Reporter Donghyun Choi] "The advertising planning of Korea Tourism Organization... Who on earth is this? A real gem. Such expressive power, he is a national treasure level!"

This is one of the top recommended comments on the Korean tourism promotional video "Feel the Rhythm of Korea" Season 2 "Seosan Edition," released on June 3rd on the YouTube channel 'Imagine your korea' by the Korea Tourism Organization. This video, nicknamed "Mud Max" as a parody of the movie "Mad Max," surpassed 15 million views in about two weeks after its release. All seven other videos in Season 2 also exceeded 10 million views. Following the huge success of Season 1's "Beom Naeryeonda" last year, the "gem" that led the blockbuster hit again in Season 2 is Oh Choongseop, head of the brand marketing team at Korea Tourism Organization (pictured), whom we met in person.

Oh Chung-seop, Team Leader of Brand Marketing, Korea Tourism Organization

When asked about the secret to the two consecutive years of success for "Feel the Rhythm of Korea," Team Leader Oh shyly replied, "It's luck and effort." He said, "With the increase in digital consumption due to COVID-19, there was a beneficial aspect. I just thought I was doing what I had to do in my position; there was no special method."

Usually, promotional videos made by government ministries or public enterprises receive criticism for being dull. This is because they tend to overly showcase government policy achievements or the identity of specific institutions. Therefore, the public treats such videos more as public service announcements or educational materials rather than cultural content. However, the videos shown by Korea Tourism Organization through "Feel the Rhythm of Korea" over the past two years have broken such prejudices. This is an unprecedented case in the history of Korean public enterprises.

Team Leader Oh led the relationship within the video production structure of 'client (Tourism Organization) - advertising agency - production company' not as a one-way (→) but as a two-way (↔) interaction. This was to allow creativity to freely manifest in each area of responsibility. Oh emphasized, "We thoroughly considered only why and what to do. How to make it is the part the advertising agency and production company should focus on, so we barely touched that."

A scene from the Korea Tourism Organization's promotional video "Feel the Rhythm of Korea" Season 2, "Seoul Episode 1 (Sarangga)."

What Oh emphasized as the role of the Tourism Organization was establishing a 'local branding' strategy. It is a process of combining local alleys, art, culture, and lifestyle with music and turning them into tourism products. Earlier this year, he formed a 'Local Branding Advisory Committee' consisting of six members including Professor Mo Jongrin from Yonsei University and held strategic meetings. Oh said, "Berlin has become a sanctuary for artists as the city supports artists through policies, and Portland in the U.S. has become a mecca for food, leisure, and sports industries as the lifestyle magazine 'Kinfolk' became popular. Amid the crisis of local areas gradually disappearing, we planned this season with the intention of revitalizing the local economy through local branding like overseas."

In Season 1, they combined traditional Korean pansori by the band Daybreak with contemporary dance by Ambiguous Dance Company. The music genre for Season 2 is hip-hop. So-called 'Joseon hip-hop' combines traditional Korean folk songs. Oh chose hip-hop inspired by various musical inspirations from everyday experiences. He said, "I was a big fan of Big Bang but not a hip-hop maniac. Then one day, I was shocked listening to Polo G's hip-hop song 'Pop Out' in the car and started liking that kind of music." He added, "When I worked in Japan, I was deeply moved by a performance by Steve Barakatt, a world-renowned pianist and composer. Non-verbal music can give such joy, and I thought hip-hop, which can convey many lyrics, could give even greater emotion, so I chose hip-hop without much hesitation."

A scene from the Daegu episode (Kwaejina Chingching Nane) of the Korea Tourism Organization's promotional video series "Feel the Rhythm of Korea" Season 2.

In Season 2's "Kwaejina Chingching Nane" Daegu edition, it starts with rapping by BIGNaughty (Seo Donghyun), a former contestant of "Show Me The Money 8" and a member of Hi-Lite Records, along with a dance team's performance. The trendy flow reinterpreted in BIGNaughty's style, rather than the commonly heard folk melodies, sticks in the ear. The video begins at the old house of the national poet Lee Sanghwa and roams around Daegu's old alleys such as the March 1st Independence Movement street, Guje Alley, and Gopchang Alley. The city's diverse atmosphere and lively rap and dance blend to create a retro yet sophisticated feeling.

Although made by the Tourism Organization, the main subject of the video is not travel. There is no guide text inviting viewers to visit the place. It simply encourages viewers to naturally think, "Where is that?" "Would that food taste good?" "I want to visit there" after watching a K-pop music video. The "Feel the Rhythm of Korea" videos, which stimulate various curiosities, are therefore more popular among foreigners. Comments on the videos include admiration from foreigners of various nationalities who are eager to travel to Korea, such as "This is the coolest tourism promo video ever" and "I can’t wait to visit there to see and try kalguksu."

Team Leader Oh plans to hand over Season 3 next year to a junior and step down. He said, "Our target is the MZ generation (Millennials + Generation Z), and as a '386 kkontae' (old-fashioned person born in the 60s-80s), I will step aside and someone closer to the MZ generation will take over the baton. Past success, data, and professional knowledge can rather become prejudice or preconceptions, so it is right to step down at this point."

A scene from the Korea Tourism Organization's promotional video 'Feel the Rhythm of Korea' Season 2, 'Gyeongju & Andong Edition (Ganggangsullae)'.

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