"80 Ojingeo Gamers Roaming Manhattan Playing 'Ttakji Chigi' at Times Square"

[Asia Economy New York=Correspondent Baek Jong-min] Eighty New Yorkers dressed in 'Squid Game' tracksuits roamed the streets of Manhattan, experiencing Korean games and cultural landmarks, indirectly experiencing Korean tourism.

Participants of the event "Korean Travel in New York with Squid Game," held throughout Manhattan, New York, are playing jjakji chigi in front of Times Square.

The New York branch of the Korea Tourism Organization (President Ahn Young-bae) held the event "2021 Korea Tour with Squid Games in NY" on the 26th (local time) throughout Manhattan.

More than 3,100 applicants participated in this event without any special promotion. Local travel media also covered the event, showing great interest in Squid Game and Korean play culture.

The 80 participants visited Korean cultural and tourism-related sites in Manhattan such as the Korean Pavilion at the Metropolitan Museum, the Korean Cultural Center in New York, Koreatown, and the ‘Line Friends’ store, a Korean character merchandise shop in Times Square, and enjoyed Korean games featured in Squid Game such as "Mugunghwa kkoci pieot seumnida" (The Rose of Sharon Has Bloomed), "Dalgona," and "Ttakji chigi" (Korean paper tile game).

As the games progressed, cheers from survivors and regrets from those eliminated alternated, but bright smiles never left the participants' faces. The final match was decided by a Ttakji chigi game between the last two contestants. The winner received a round-trip ticket to Korea.

Jae-seok Park, head of the Korea Tourism Organization’s New York branch, said, "Following the success of Squid Game, curiosity about Korean culture including Hangul and Korean cuisine has increased, and we expect Americans' interest in Korean tourism to grow."

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