Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon promotes Korean tourism during an event held at the Fahrenheit88 shopping mall in Kuala Lumpur, Sunday. Courtesy of Seoul Metropolitan Government
In a calibrated bid to fuse city policy with global pop culture, Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon is wagering that the worldwide pull of K-pop and K-dramas can help tourism at home.
To achieve that goal, Oh recently toured Malaysia, leaning on Korea’s cultural soft power to recast the capital as a must-see destination for young travelers already enthralled by its music and style.
As part of his Asia trip, the mayor attended “Seoul My Soul in Kuala Lumpur” on Sunday at the Fahrenheit88 shopping mall in the city center, where the Seoul tourism agency and city government held a large-scale promotion event under the theme “Seouliday.” The term is a portmanteau meaning a Seoul-style holiday, according to the Seoul Metropolitan Government on Monday.
Oh stepped onto the stage to deliver a tourism pitch in English, introducing Naksan Park and N Seoul Tower, which appear in the Netflix series “K-pop Demon Hunters.” He also highlighted winter attractions such as the Gwanghwamun Square Christmas Market and the Cheonggyecheon Lantern Festival in promotional videos. Addressing local fans, he said Seoul “always welcomes you with all its heart” and urged them to visit the city.
Malaysia has emerged as a key market for Korean tourism on the back of surging interest in K-pop, TV content and other cultural exports. As of October, 215,000 Malaysians visited Korea this year, recovering to about 83 percent of pre-pandemic levels, according to the city government.
A recent survey conducted by the Korea Foundation for International Cultural Exchange found that 70.2 percent of Malaysian respondents said their perception of Korea became more positive after consuming Korean media content, highlighting the impact of soft power on travel decisions.
To tap into that demand, Seoul authorities organized multiple experience zones inside the mall, including a K-beauty zone, K-food zone, Seoul-branded photo spots and more. According to city officials, more than 1,000 local K-pop fans attended, with a K-beauty show featuring Malaysian influencers drawing particularly strong interest.
Ahead of the event, Oh attended a roundtable with members of AGIKO, an alumni network of about 2,900 Malaysians who obtained degrees at Korean universities. Since its launch in 2003, the group has served as a bridge for cooperation between Korea and Malaysia in fields such as international development. Seoul officials say they will continue to work with the organization to strengthen ties with Korea-educated professionals in Malaysia.
On Monday, Oh also met with Kuala Lumpur Mayor Datuk Fadlun Mak Ujud at City Hall to discuss concrete follow-up measures to a sister city agreement the two capitals inked in July. Seoul and Kuala Lumpur agreed to expand cooperation in areas including sustainable urban development, smart city policies and people-to-people exchanges.
Oh also stressed the need for the two cities to work together on shared urban challenges such as traffic congestion and climate change, proposing wider cooperation on smart transport systems, according to Seoul officials.
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