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The 2022 “Visit Korean Heritage Campaign” ready to get rolling!

  • Tuesday, June 14, 2022, 3:13 pm
  • ACROFAN=Jae-Yong Ryu
  • jaeyong.ryu@acrofan.com
The 2022 “Visit Korean Heritage Campaign” (the “Campaign”), a joint project between the Cultural Heritage Administration (Administrator: Choi Eung-chon) and the Korea Cultural Heritage Foundation (President: Choi Young-chang), is hosting a press conference at the Yeongbingwan Hall (Blue House) on June 14 to announce that the Campaign is ready to open its gates and welcome guests to its programs.

Launched back in 2020, the Campaign is in its third year, and despite the fact that it is a relatively new initiative, the Campaign has established itself as a valuable brand, which allows audiences both in Korea and abroad rediscover the value of Korean culture and heritage that helped shape the Hallyu wave spreading across the globe today. This year’s Campaign will feature ten unique themes and 75 different destinations centered on World Heritages and Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity in Korea, and also a wide variety of related content.

Despite the limitations due to COVID-19 over the past two years, the Campaign has continued to make some remarkable achievements in promoting Korea’s culture, heritage, and the Hallyu movement to people all over the world, including overseas advertisements using large billboards in major cities around the world such as New York and London, participating in the Dubai Expo, and producing 677 pieces of online content, etc. This year, with people given the freedom to travel somewhat normally for the first time since the pandemic began, the Campaign has returned with a much more powerful arsenal of programs visitors can physically visit and experience. In particular, now that the Cheongwadae (Blue House) is open for public access, the ‘Royalty Route,’ which had been headlined by the Gyeongbokgung Palace in past years, includes Cheongwaedae (the grounds of Cheongwaedae constitutes the north-side garden of Gyeongbokgung Palace) in its program. Also, this year, the Campaign has appointed its first-ever celebrity ambassador: actor Kim Min-ha.

 
■ New places, new faces add to the “Visit Korean Heritage Campaign” experience

This year’s Campaign will use Cheongwadae, which has been returned to the public just recently, as a major base of operations, starting with the official press conference for the Campaign. First, Cheongwadae will host “Korea On Stage” to commemorate the National Liberation Day of Korea this August. With Cheongwaedae as its backdrop, “Korea On Stage” plans to introduce audiences across the globe to the beauty of Korean cultural heritage with spectacular performances by artists representing a wide variety of genres, including Gukak (Korean traditional music) and K-pop. Then, in October, an exhibition at Cheongwadae will incorporate media art content introducing the history of Cheongwadae, which is part of this year’s “Royalty Route” program, and give people a new and unique experience.

Meanwhile, actor Kim Min-ha, who emerged as a worldwide phenomenon with her role in the TV series hit “Pachinko,” will serve as the official celebrity ambassador for the 2022 Visit Korean Heritage Campaign with video projects promoting the Campaign. As the celebrity ambassador for the Campaign, Kim Min-ha visited Haeinsa Temple in Hapcheon as part of her trip through the “Mountain Temple Route” to reflect on the legacy of our ancestors through the Tripitaka Koreana. Her trip to Haeinsa Temple will be included in the “2022 Visit Korean Heritage Campaign Brand Video” (release expected in the second half of the year), which is expected to be aired on one of the massive billboards in Times Square, New York.


■ Virtual Humans and Metaverse - Infinite potential and possibilities for cultural heritage through new collaboration

The “contactless” (virtual) content produced by the “Visit Korean Heritage Campaign” this year has also been refreshed with new faces. The cultural heritage visiting program on ZEPETO, a metaverse platform first launched last year, adds new blood thanks to some innovative collaboration with three virtual human siblings, and “Korea In Fashion,” a popular program for the Campaign, is coming back with a new designer as well. Furthermore, the Campaign is looking forward to working with a much larger pool of local governments and businesses to offer new attractions.

First, on June 24, ZEPETO will kick off with the “Visit Korean Heritage Campaign x Find the Three Virtual Siblings Ho, Gon, and Haeil!” event. These three virtual siblings, Ho (昊), Gon (坤), and Haeil (海日), which have been created to reflect the appearances of the Millennials and Gen Z’s, have 10,000 followers on Instagram. Late last year, the “Cultural Heritage Visiting Campaign” introduced the “Jeju Mythic Landscape Route” and “Visit Korean Heritage Campaign PR Center,” attracting roughly 190,000 visitors (as of the end of December 2021). This year, the Campaign is hoping to carry on the momentum from last year and earn a positive response from the younger generation working with Ho, Gon, and Haeil. Then, in November, ZEPETO plans to unveil “Namwon Gwanghalluwon,” a new attraction for the Campaign, and introduce up to 300 million metaverse platform users all over the world to Korean culture and heritage.

On June 27, the “Journey for the Best Selfie Ever” video featuring Ho, Gon, and Haeil will be released by ZEPETO as well. In this video, Ho, Gon, and Haeil visit the Suwon Hwaseong Fortress on their journey along the “Royalty Route,” Gangneung Seongyojang on the “Kwandong Korean Elegance Route,” Andong Hahoe Village on the “Golden Era Route,” and Andong Byeongsan Seowon Confucian Academy on the “Korean Confucian Academy Route” to give people a glimpse of what to expect on their own journeys to enjoy Korea's culture and heritage. The video will also be aired on a billboard at Times Square in New York on the same day.


Meanwhile, “Korea In Fashion,” which had gathered a massive following while working with designer Tchai Kim for the past two years, is collaborating with designer Kim Ri-eul of the brand “Rieul” for this year’s Campaign. “Korea In Fashion” recorded 650,000 views on YouTube and 700,000 clicks with its photos, effectively suggesting Hanbok as a fashion choice among younger generations. This year, it plans to showcase some new and intriguing aspects of Hanbok once again with designer Kim Ri-eul, who is known for his suits made with Hanbok fabric worn by BTS and Zico. A video of Korean-themed outfits filmed in and around the “Baekje Historic Area” will be released through an outdoor advertisement in Tokyo, Japan, this October.

Also, pop artist Hong Won-pyo, renowned for his characters in “Barabapa,” is joining the “Visit Korean Heritage Campaign” this year. This year’s Campaign will feature his characters, depicting key attractions across each of the Campaign’s programs in a cute and lovely way, in some of its special offers. Furthermore, in the second half of the year, the Campaign is looking to launch a limited-edition beverage - “Visit Korean Heritage Campaign X Haneul Bori” - developed in collaboration with Woongjin Foods, new content developed with CJ ENM’s K-POP channel “Studio Choom,” and an event linked to World Heritage Festival with S-Oil.

 
■ Dawn of the post-COVID-19 era! 2022 is the year we can all actually visit our cultural heritage sites!

The “Visit Korean Heritage Campaign” has been monitering previous events every year for improvement. This year, to physically bring more visitors to its attractions for the first time since the COVID-19 outbreak, the Campaign is looking to host a variety of events showcasing unique and fascinating stories behind our culture and heritage.

This year, the Campaign is debuting its new “traveler passport” and “traveler kit” that includes film cameras and picnic mats they may need along their trips to various culture and heritage sites. In September, the Campaign will launch a collaborative product (Haneul Bori beverage) with Woongjin Foods, and a joint event featuring Korail Tourism Development’s seaside trains along the “Gwandong Korean Elegance Route.” Then, in October, the Campaign will launch a program focusing on Korean royal confectionery (Kohojae) and Korean traditional culture in Tokyo, Japan, specifically designed to attract Japanese tourists with help from the Korean Cultural Center in Japan.

* Kohojae (高好齋): “Home for those who like old things,” the premium Korean royal confectionery brand owned by the Korea House

Meanwhile, the Incheon International Airport is reopening its PR Center for the “Visit Korean Heritage Campaign.” The PR Center, which opened for three months last year (August-October), is coming back with improved content to welcome domestic and foreign travelers with an immersive video exhibition featuring the “10 Traveler Itineraries” in digital format and other facilities to enhance the immersive experience. With AR/VR and interactive content incorporating immersive technology at the Incheon International Airport Passenger Terminal 1, the Campaign hopes to deliver creative and new ways to interpret Korean culture and heritage, and give visitors a good preview of Korean cultural heritage with advanced and sophisticated visuals.

The Campaign will also continue its work to share its content of the local festivals. The “World Heritage Festival” will be held in Andong, Yeongju (both in Gyeongsangbuk-do), Suwon Special Metropolitan City, and the Jeju Special Self-Governing Province from September to October with a wide variety of programs, including concerts, historic reenactments, exhibitions, and experiences centered on UNESCO World Heritage sites in Korea. “World Heritage Media Art”, which combines state-of-the-art digital and IT technology with Korean cultural heritage, is a collection of eight productions featuring the Suwon Hwaseong Fortress, Buyeo Busosanseong Fortress, Gongju Gongsanseong Fortress, Iksan Mireuksa Temple Site, Gochang Dolmen Site, Yangsan Tongdosa Temple, Hamyang Namgye Seowon Confucian Academy, Jeju Volcanic Island and Lava Tubes. The “World Heritage Festival” will unveil these programs produced by each municipal government in the second half of 2022.

 
The Cultural Heritage Administration and the Korea Cultural Heritage Foundation will work hand in hand to give more people a chance to enjoy Korea’s cultural heritage to promote the value of Korea's cultural heritage to people all over the world.

More details on the “Visit Korean Heritage Campaign” are available on the Campaign’s official website(https://chf.or.kr/visit), YouTube channel (@koreanheritage), and Instagram account (@visitkoreanheritage).