Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism (MCST) CHAE Hwi-young visited The Hyundai Seoul on January 22 (Thursday) to inspect the progress of the “2026 Korea Grand Sale (December 17, 2025 – February 22, 2026)” and to gather on-site feedback on measures to increase international tourist arrivals. The Korea Grand Sale is Korea’s flagship shopping and tourism festival, designed to promote inbound travel and consumer spending during the off-peak tourism season.

Minister CHAE first joined Lee Boo-jin, Chairperson of the Visit Korea Committee, in welcoming international visitors at the “Korean Cooking Class using K-Sauce,” one of the experiential programs offered as part of the “Korea Grand Sale.” He then visited “Wiggle Wiggle,” a participating retailer, to inspect event operations, including promotional activities and benefits provided to customers.

The Minister also toured the concierge (information desk) at The Hyundai Seoul to review a range of services provided to international tourists at the shopping venue, such as luggage storage, multilingual information, and instant VAT refund services. During the visit, he encouraged staff and emphasized the importance of strengthening public-private cooperation to enhance the overall visitor experience.

Minister stated, “Seeing the venue bustling with international visitors once again brings home the fact that Korea achieved a record-high number of inbound tourist last year.” He added, “Building on initiatives such as the Korea Grand Sale, MCST will continue its efforts to attract more international visitors by combining innovative and diverse K-Culture based programs with warm and attentive hospitality.