NAGOYA — With its “K-culture,” such as pop music, TV dramas and films, South Korea is casting an eye on Japan to lure inbound tourists to regional cities, not Seoul, where overtourism is a concern.
In June, the Korea Tourism Organization’s Osaka branch held a promotional event in Nagoya’s Naka Ward. When Na In-woo, a popular actor and a main cast member of the internationally popular drama “Marry My Husband,” appeared on stage as a guest of a talk, the audience burst into cheers. The audience was even more excited when he spoke in the Nagoya dialect, saying, “What a huge crowd!”
The visitors consisted of 2,000 people selected by lottery, with priority given to those who could prove with passports or other documents that they had visited South Korea in 2023 or 2024 or were planning to do so. Some 12,000 people, six times the number of the capacity, applied from all over Japan.
During the talk, Na introduced some of his favorite sightseeing spots in his home country, with episodes of his visits during the filming of TV dramas and variety shows. He mentioned destinations including the “Hwasun Red Cliff” in the county of Hwasun, a scenic spot little known to many.
Na also said that he is a gourmet who loves regional delicacies, and spoke enthusiastically about “Andong jjimdak,” a sweet and spicy braised chicken dish famous in the city of Andong, and the “garlic tteok-galbi” grilled short rib patties in the county of Danyang.
In the lobby of the venue, panels displaying famous scenes from movies and TV dramas were set up, each showing the location of the filming. Some people were excited to see them, with one saying, “We went there.”
According to the Korea Tourism Organization, 2.316 million Japanese tourists visited South Korea in 2023. Compared to the 3.271 million who visited in 2019, before the coronavirus pandemic, the number recovered to about 70%. Visitors from Japan marked the largest number, ahead of China and the United States, and it was the first time in 11 years that Japan ranked first.
This is believed to be due to the growing interest in K-culture in Japan. In the past, “Winter Sonata” and other TV dramas became popular, and many Japanese tourists made “pilgrimages to sacred places.” The recent growth is characterized by the spread of streaming services such as Netflix.
A PR representative explained, “In the past, there was a time lag between the South Korean and Japanese booms due to differences in when TV dramas and movies were available for viewing, but now booms are occurring at the same time. People can enjoy popular local places and restaurants together.” The age range of fans has apparently expanded following the COVID-19 pandemic, when opportunities for families to watch dramas increased.
In South Korea, as in Japan, tourists tend to concentrate in some main areas such as Seoul. The tourism organization is focusing its promotion in the hope of spreading inbound tourists to local regions. Many of the filming locations are in scenic locales, which seem to be a perfect fit. The representative commented, “There are still many places that are not known in Japan, and there is a possibility that people will repeatedly visit those places.”
At a glance, more than 90% of the attendees at the event were women. A 27-year-old company worker said, “I have been a Hallyu (Korean culture) fan since I got hooked on ‘Crash Landing on You’ on Netflix while I was refraining from going out amid the coronavirus pandemic.” Her 43-year-old friend who accompanied her, said, “I have already visited two regional cities in South Korea this year.”
A 74-year-old woman who became a Hallyu fan because of “Winter Sonata” and the pop duo TVXQ (also known as Tohoshinki in Japan) said, “I’m deeply moved to think that there are so many Hallyu fans in Japan.” She laughed and added, “South Korea makes me want to return as soon as I get back.”
The tourism organization states, “We would like to further focus on attracting Japanese tourists by turning their high interest and demand for K-culture into actual visits to South Korea.”
(Japanese original by Atsuko Ota, Nagoya News Center)
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