South Korea appointed K-pop girl band NewJeans as “honorary ambassadors” as part of a national tourism promotion effort on Thursday, July 11, 2024. The girl band joins a long list of Korean celebrities to take on the role.
Tourism numbers in South Korea have nearly recovered to pre-pandemic levels this year, with about a third of visitors citing K-pop and K-dramas, or the so-called “Korean Wave,” as their main motivation for traveling to the East Asian country.
“We are very happy to be appointed as ambassadors today to promote tourism in Korea,” said band member Minzy, adding that it was a “great joy” for the supergroup to promote the charms of their country.
Culture Minister Yoo In-cheon said tourist numbers were “about 90% of pre-pandemic levels.” “We hope that with New Jeans acting as a tourism ambassador, even more people from around the world will visit Korea.”
New Jeans as a tourism ambassador for Korea
The group will act as ambassadors for a year but with no actual diplomatic responsibilities, replacing previous representatives such as Squid Game star and Emmy Award winner Lee Jung-jae and K-pop megastars BTS.
Band members shared personal recommendations for visitors, such as eating “kimbap dipped in tteokbokki sauce” and “taking one photo a day,” an “unspoken rule among the younger generation in Korea.”
Hyelin encouraged tourists to visit hanok (traditional Korean houses), while Hanni encouraged tourists to try Korean cuisine.
“When you come to Korea, you have to try Korean food. It’s hot in the summer, so I think you’ll really enjoy dishes like samgyetang (chicken soup with ginseng) and mul naengmyeon (cold buckwheat noodles),” she said.
More than 11 million tourists visited South Korea last year, a 245% increase compared to 2022, when some anti-pandemic restrictions were still in place.
The majority of visitors were Chinese and Japanese tourists.
New Jeans recently held their first fan meeting at the Tokyo Dome less than two years after their debut, making them the fastest foreign act to do so at the venue, with tickets selling out within minutes.
The K-pop group’s debut single in Japan, “Supernatural,” had sold more than 1 million copies as of Thursday, making it the group’s fifth million-seller.
This article was published by AFP Relaxnews.
(Main image: Jeong Yong-jae/AFP, Feature image: Korea.net/Instagram)
Notes:
The information in this article is accurate as of the publication date.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Q: What brand is NewJeans an ambassador for?
A: In addition to being honorary tourism ambassadors for Korea, NewJeans members also represent several brands, including Celine (Danielle), Armani Beauty (Hanni) and Chanel (Minji).
Question: How old are the girls in NewJeans?
A: NewJeans members are between the ages of 16 and 20.
