- On July 11, Minister Yu appointed NewJeans as the 2024 honorary ambassadors of Korea tourism

- Two new promotional videos to be released on YouTube and broadcasted on billboards across 12 cities worldwide, including Times Square in New York

On July 11, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism (MCST, led by Minister Yu In Chon) officially appointed the K-pop girl group NewJeans as the 2024 honorary ambassadors to promote Korean tourism worldwide. During the appointment ceremony, Minister Yu presented the group with a commemorative plaque, marking the beginning of their role in promoting Korean tourism for the upcoming year. The event also featured the premiere of new Korean tourism videos starring NewJeans along with a lively onstage interview.

Appointed by the MCST and the Korea Tourism Organization (KTO), NewJeans will follow the footsteps of previous honorary ambassadors, such as LEE Jung Jae in 2023 and BTS in 2022, who have helped boost Korea’s global appeal through engaging tourism campaigns. Last year’s “Challenge Korea with LEE Jung Jae (2023)” campaign was a huge success, garnering an impressive 540 million views. Building on this popularity, the KTO’s YouTube channel “Imagine Your Korea,” which promotes Korean tourism overseas, reached 1 million subscribers in February, becoming the first-ever National Tourism Organization (NTO) channel to reach this milestone.

NewJeans promotes “Koreans’ Korea,” offering authentic travel experiences curated by locals

Korea’s new tourism campaign will specifically target the global 2030 generation. In 2023, 35.6% of inbound tourists to Korea were under the age of 30, with 84% traveling independently. Given that “encountering Hallyu content” has been the top reason for interest in traveling to Korea (32.1%), the campaign with NewJeans aims to appeal to the younger demographic, who make up a third of all visitors to Korea. The new campaign embraces the recent tourism trend toward experiences, showcasing a theme of “Koreans’ Korea” that offers unique, local perspectives not readily available online.

In the new videos, instead of the traditional method of introducing Korean dishes one by one, NewJeans couples Korean cuisine with unique experiences: Visiting traditional markets to enjoy gimbap dipped in tteokbokki sauce, having cup ramyeon after a hike, or savoring chungmugimbap at the beach. Reflecting the global popularity of Korean language, exciting tourist activities such as Choncance (Getaway to the countryside), Café tour (Café hopping), and Jagae Gongye (Mother-of-pearl crafts) are introduced and displayed on screen in Korean.

In addition to the campaign with Hallyu stars, the MCST and KTO will produce special videos to generate widespread interest in Korean tourism, similar to the previous “Tiger is Coming” or ones where influencers share their unforgettable experiences in Korea. This year, a new series of short-form videos called K-100 will be created, featuring 100 people offering 100 different recommendations for things to do in Korea. Among them, NewJeans members will also share their personal suggestions: Minji, for instance, suggests, “Gimbap dipped in Tteokbokki sauce is a must-try;” Danielle recommends, “Half-yangneom, half-fried! This is the Korean way to eat fried chicken!;” Hanni notes, “A-photo-a-day is an unspoken rule among young Korean generations!;” Haerin advises, “The ultimate playground for K-content! A must-visit place when you’re in Korea!;” and Hyein adds, “You can even customize your own cosmetics!”

The new videos featuring NewJeans were released online on July 11 via the KTO’s YouTube channel “Imagine Your Korea”. Following the online rollout, they will be also broadcasted on billboards across 12 major cities worldwide, starting from Times Square in New York to Tokyo, Shanghai, Bangkok, Dubai, and Mexico City. Moreover, short-form videos will be showcased on screens throughout the city of Paris during the upcoming Olympics.

Minister YU stated, “I hope that the new campaign featuring NewJeans, who are marking a new era of K-pop, will cultivate a trendy image of Korean tourism among global youth and inspire them to explore authentic Korea. The MCST will continue making efforts to turn the worldwide popularity of K-culture into actual visits to Korea.”