"K-Tourism Roadshow" will kick off this month in Japan and be held in 15 cities worldwide to promote tourism in Korea. Shown is Koreatown in Tokyo's Shin-Okubo Street. (Yonhap News)

By Lee Kyoung-Mi

An event promoting tourism in Korea will be launched this month in Japan to mark the 20th anniversary of the birth of Hallyu (Korean Wave).

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism on Feb. 13 announced that it will hold "K-Tourism Roadshow" jointly with the Korea Tourism Organization in three Japanese cities: Fukuoka on Feb. 14, Osaka on Feb. 15 and Tokyo on Feb. 17.

The annual event seeks to promote tourism in Korea to mark "Visit Korea Year 2023-24" and will be held in 15 cities worldwide including the three in Japan as well as Hong Kong, Dubai, the United Arab Emirates, Taipei, Taiwan, London, Los Angeles and Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

The launch of Hallyu came in 2003 with the premiere in Japan of the hit Korean TV drama "Winter Sonata." The slogan for the roadshow is "To Korea, Birthplace of K-Culture" (unofficial translation). 

"Japan is the nation where K-culture first gained global popularity," the ministry said, explaining the country's significance as the first venue for the roadshow.

The schedule in Japan includes "100 K-Cultural Tourism Event" and tourism content by Korean cultural themes of high interest among Japanese such as visits to sites where K-dramas or music videos were filmed and Korean heritage tours. Regional governments and tourism organizations will directly recommend Korean culture tours, sights and food for each area. 

Hallyu stars like Choi Ji-woo, Song Seung-heon, Lee Young-ae, Lee Byeong-heon and Song Joong-ki will also promote tourism in Korea through a congratulatory video message on the event.

A pre-arranged consultation between regional tourism organizations in Korea and Japanese travel agencies and "Korea Tourism Exchange Night" (unofficial translation), in which representatives from travel companies, governments, media and related organizations from both countries discuss boosting bilateral exchanges, will be held.

The roadshow will be held in 15 cities worldwide throughout this year. Next month, a campaign with the theme "Travel Like a Local" will be held in Hong Kong focused on activities for individual tourists. In August, a Korean interactive cultural event for K-pop fans will be held in Los Angeles through cooperation with Korean companies active in the city. And in October, a family winter tour campaign in Kuala Lumpur will promote visiting Korea to middle-class Muslims, a demographic with high interest in Hallyu.

km137426@korea.kr