Park Sung-hyeuck, left, president of the Korea Tourism Organization (KTO), poses with singer Sung Si-kyung, who was appointed as an honorary ambassador for Korean tourism during a K-Tourism Roadshow event held at Roppongi Hills Arena in Tokyo, Saturday. Courtesy of KTO
Sung Si-kyung, a veteran singer known for his smooth voice and fluent Japanese, has been appointed as an honorary ambassador for Korean tourism by the Korea Tourism Organization (KTO), leading the way in attracting more Japanese visitors.
The KTO said Monday that the appointment took place during the K-Tourism Road Show event in Tokyo, Saturday. The move comes as the KTO seeks a relatable and culturally connected face to encourage Japanese travelers to keep coming back to Korea.
The 46-year-old singer famously taught himself Japanese, achieving a level of fluency that allows him to appear on Japanese variety shows without an interpreter.
Sung has garnered attention for co-hosting the Netflix show “K-foodie Meets J-foodie” with Japanese entertainers and has been actively sharing covers of Japanese songs on his YouTube channel, which boasts millions of subscribers.
During the KTO event held at Tokyo’s Roppongi Hills Arena, Sung introduced Korea’s regional hidden gems to attendees with his fluent Japanese.
The Tokyo festival, which drew over 30,000 visitors over two days, was part of a broader K-Tourism Roadshow series that kicked off in Osaka on Thursday before moving to the capital city on Friday.
The four-day relay event featured various promotional programs, including Han River ramyeon experience zone and K-beauty makeup booths, to stimulate interest in visiting Korea.
According to the KTO, about 120 organizations from the tourism industries of both countries participated in business consultation sessions and Korea-Japan Tourism Exchange Night events held in Osaka and Tokyo on Thursday and Friday.
In addition, the KTO utilized the roadshow to promote its new “30 Selected Small Cities in Korea” campaign to reduce the heavy concentration of tourists in the Seoul metropolitan area. The organization plans to develop travel packages that link regional hubs, such as airports in Gimhae, Daegu and Cheongju, with nearby rural attractions.
Park Sung-hyeuck, president of the KTO, emphasized that the nature of travel between the two countries has fundamentally changed.
“For many Japanese travelers, a trip to Korea has become a casual choice, almost like deciding on a weekend getaway,” Park said.
“We will increase our marketing efforts to reflect this trend, while improving travel convenience through collaborations with major Japanese platforms and mobile payment services like PayPay to attract more repeat visitors.”
During the roadshow, the KTO also signed memorandums of understanding with eight major Japanese travel firms and agencies, including HIS and Rakuten Travel. The promotional relay event is scheduled to conclude in Fukuoka on April 30.
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