NewJeans Appointed as 'Honorary Ambassadors for Korean Tourism'... Following Lee Jung-jae and BTS

Two Korean Tourism Overseas Ads Released on YouTube
Displayed on Billboards in 12 Cities Including New York Times Square

Group NewJeans will promote Hallyu and travel to Korea as the 2024 Honorary Ambassadors of Korean Tourism.

The group NewJeans has been appointed as the 2024 Korea Tourism Honorary Ambassador.
[Photo by Adoer]

On the 11th, Minister Yoo In-chon of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism appointed the group NewJeans as the 2024 Honorary Ambassadors of Korean Tourism. The appointment ceremony included the presentation of the appointment plaque, the unveiling of a Korean tourism promotional video featuring NewJeans, and an ambassador stage interview.

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Korea Tourism Organization have appointed leading Hallyu stars of the time as ‘Honorary Ambassadors of Korean Tourism,’ such as Lee Jung-jae in 2023 and BTS in 2022, producing Korean tourism advertisements to promote Korea worldwide. Last year’s Korean tourism advertisement, ‘Challenge Korea Lee Jung-jae Edition,’ recorded a cumulative 540 million views. Building on this popularity, in February this year, the Korean tourism overseas promotion YouTube channel ‘Imagine Your Korea’ became the first National Tourism Organization (NTO) channel worldwide to surpass 1 million subscribers.

This year’s Korean tourism advertisements focus on targeting the global 2030 generation. In 2023, 35.6% of foreign visitors to Korea were aged 30 or younger, and 84% traveled individually. Moreover, the top reason for becoming interested in traveling to Korea was ‘after experiencing Hallyu content (32.1%),’ so NewJeans will lead a Korean tourism campaign targeting the youth generation, who make up one in three visitors.

In particular, reflecting the recent trend of tourists preferring experiential activities at tourist sites, the promotional video was produced under the concept of ‘Koreans’ Korea,’ showcasing authentic Korean travel experiences that cannot be discovered through simple searches but are introduced by Koreans themselves.

In the video, instead of the usual method of introducing Korean dishes one by one, NewJeans visits traditional markets, advising viewers to dip gimbap in tteokbokki sauce, enjoy cup noodles after hiking, and eat Chungmu gimbap by the seaside. Also, reflecting the global popularity of the Korean language and culture, NewJeans delivers Korean lines and presents recommended courses such as ‘Chonkangseu’ (rural vacation), ‘Cafe Tour,’ and ‘Jagae Craft’ in full-screen Hangul designs.

The 2023 Korea Tourism promotional video featuring actor Lee Jung-jae has recorded a cumulative 540 million views, leading the Korea Tourism promotional YouTube channel to become the first national tourism organization channel worldwide to surpass 1 million subscribers.
[Photo by Korea Tourism Organization]

In addition to overseas advertisement series featuring Hallyu stars, the Ministry and the Korea Tourism Organization will produce viral campaign advertisements like the previous ‘Beom Naeryeonda’ and videos where famous content creators (influencers) share their experiences visiting Korea by theme. This year, adapting to media changes, they also plan a new ‘K(100)’ short video (short-form) series introducing 100 unique recommendations on what to do in Korea.

All five NewJeans members participate, recommending activities to experience in Korea such as ▲Minji: ‘Try dipping gimbap in tteokbokki sauce’ ▲Danielle: ‘Half seasoned, half fried chicken is the way to go’ ▲Hanni: ‘In Korea, taking one photo a day is a trend’ ▲Haerin: ‘If you’re a K-culture fan, visit Hiker Ground’ ▲Hyein: ‘You can even make customized cosmetics in Korea.’

The Korean tourism promotional video featuring NewJeans will be released online on the 11th through the Korean tourism YouTube channel (Imagine Your Korea) and other platforms. It will then be broadcast on digital billboards in 12 cities worldwide, including New York Times Square, Tokyo, Shanghai, Bangkok, Dubai, and Mexico City. During the Paris Olympics, short-form video content will be screened on digital screens throughout Paris.

Minister Yoo In-chon of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism said, “I hope the advertisement featuring NewJeans, who are opening a new era of K-pop, will stylishly imprint Korean tourism in the minds of young people worldwide and ignite their desire to experience the real Korea.” He added, “We will continue to make various efforts to convert the global popularity of K-culture into demand for visiting Korea.”

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