Members of the K-pop girl group NewJeans pose during a ceremony in Seoul, Thursday, to become honorary ambassadors to promote Korea as a tourist destination. Yonhap By Lee Hae-rin K-pop sensation NewJeans has become an honorary ambassador to promote Korea to the world, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Korea Tourism Organization (KTO) said Thursday. "It is a great honor to be appointed as honorary ambassadors for Korean tourism," the group said during the appointment ceremony in Seoul.
"We will take the lead in promoting Korean culture and tourism to the world." The ministry and the KTO appointed the K-pop group as honorary ambassadors to broaden Korea's reach to the younger generation of inbound travelers, who account for one in every three visitors to Korea. According to the ministry's survey, 35.
6 percent of inbound visitors last year were under 30, while an overwhelming 84 percent were independent travelers. The survey also showed that hallyu, or the Korean wave, was the biggest motivating factor for travelers to visit Korea, with 32.1 percent of respondents saying so.
NewJeans appeared in two videos the KTO released on its YouTube channel, Imagine Your Korea, on the same day. Titled "Koreans' Korea," the two commercials are each themed around Korean gastronomy and experiences Koreans enjoy and recommend. For example, members visit traditional markets to dip gimbap in tteokbokki, enjoy a cup of instant noodles after hiking and eat Chungmu gimbap at the b.
