The 2022“Visit Korean Heritage Campaign” (the “Campaign”), a joint project between theCultural Heritage Administration (Administrator: Choi Eung-chon) and the KoreaCultural Heritage Foundation (President: Choi Young-chang), is hosting a pressconference at the Yeongbingwan Hall (Blue House) on June 14 to announce thatthe Campaign is ready to open its gates and welcome guests to its programs.

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

Despite the limitations due to COVID-19 over the past two years, theCampaign has continued to make some remarkable achievements in promotingKorea’s culture, heritage, and the Hallyu movement to people all over theworld, including overseas advertisements using large billboards in major citiesaround 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 giventhe freedom to travel somewhat normally for the first time since the pandemicbegan, the Campaign has returned with a much more powerful arsenal of programsvisitors can physically visit and experience. In particular, now that theCheongwadae (Blue House) is open for public access, the ‘Royalty Route,’ whichhad been headlined by the Gyeongbokgung Palace in past years, includesCheongwaedae (the grounds of Cheongwaedae constitutes the north-side garden ofGyeongbokgung Palace) in its program. Also, this year, the Campaign hasappointed 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 thepublic just recently, as a major base of operations, starting with the officialpress conference for the Campaign. First, Cheongwadae will host “Korea OnStage” to commemorate the National Liberation Day of Korea this August. WithCheongwaedae as its backdrop, “Korea On Stage” plans to introduce audiencesacross the globe to the beauty of Korean cultural heritage with spectacularperformances by artists representing a wide variety of genres, including Gukak(Korean traditional music) and K-pop. Then, in October, an exhibition atCheongwadae will incorporate media art content introducing the history ofCheongwadae, which is part of this year’s “Royalty Route” program, and givepeople a new and unique experience.

Meanwhile, actor Kim Min-ha, who emerged as a worldwide phenomenon with herrole in the TV series hit “Pachinko,” will serve as the official celebrityambassador for the 2022 Visit Korean Heritage Campaign with video projectspromoting the Campaign. As the celebrity ambassador for the Campaign, KimMin-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 theTripitaka Koreana. Her trip to Haeinsa Temple will be included in the “2022Visit Korean Heritage Campaign Brand Video” (release expected in the secondhalf of the year), which is expected to be aired on one of the massivebillboards in Times Square, New York.

▣ VirtualHumans and Metaverse - Infinite potential and possibilities for culturalheritage through new collaboration

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

First, on June 24, ZEPETO will kick off with the “Visit Korean HeritageCampaign x Find the Three Virtual Siblings Ho, Gon, and Haeil!” event. Thesethree virtual siblings, Ho (昊), Gon (坤), and Haeil (海日), which have been created to reflect theappearances of the Millennials and Gen Z’s, have 10,000 followers on Instagram.Late last year, the “Cultural Heritage Visiting Campaign” introduced the “JejuMythic Landscape Route” and “Visit Korean Heritage Campaign PR Center,”attracting roughly 190,000 visitors (as of the end of December 2021). Thisyear, the Campaign is hoping to carry on the momentum from last year and earn apositive response from the younger generation working with Ho, Gon, and Haeil.Then, in November, ZEPETO plans to unveil “Namwon Gwanghalluwon,” a newattraction for the Campaign, and introduce up to 300 million metaverse platformusers 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 Haeilvisit the Suwon Hwaseong Fortress on their journey along the “Royalty Route,”Gangneung Seongyojang on the “Kwandong Korean Elegance Route,” Andong HahoeVillage on the “Golden Era Route,” and Andong Byeongsan Seowon ConfucianAcademy on the “Korean Confucian Academy Route” to give people a glimpse ofwhat to expect on their own journeys to enjoy Korea's culture and heritage. Thevideo will also be aired on a billboard at Times Square in New York on the sameday.

Meanwhile, “Korea In Fashion,” which had gathered a massive following whileworking with designer Tchai Kim for the past two years, is collaborating withdesigner Kim Ri-eul of the brand “Rieul” for this year’s Campaign. “Korea InFashion” 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 onceagain with designer Kim Ri-eul, who is known for his suits made with Hanbokfabric worn by BTS and Zico. A video of Korean-themed outfits filmed in andaround the “Baekje Historic Area” will be released through an outdoor advertisementin 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 Campaignwill feature his characters, depicting key attractions across each of theCampaign’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 launcha limited-edition beverage - “Visit Korean Heritage Campaign X Haneul Bori” -developed in collaboration with Woongjin Foods, new content developed with CJENM’s K-POP channel “Studio Choom,” and an event linked to World HeritageFestival with S-Oil.

▣ Dawn of thepost-COVID-19 era! 2022 is the year we can all actually visit our culturalheritage sites!

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

This year,the Campaign is debuting its new “traveler passport” and “traveler kit” thatincludes film cameras and picnic mats they may need along their trips tovarious culture and heritage sites. In September, the Campaign will launch acollaborative product (Haneul Bori beverage) with Woongjin Foods, and a jointevent featuring Korail Tourism Development’s seaside trains along the “GwandongKorean Elegance Route.” Then, in October, the Campaign will launch a programfocusing on Korean royal confectionery (Kohojae) and Korean traditional culturein Tokyo, Japan, specifically designed to attract Japanese tourists with helpfrom the Korean Cultural Center in Japan.

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

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

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

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

More detailson the “Visit Korean Heritage Campaign” are available on the Campaign’sofficial website (chf.or.kr/visit), YouTube channel(www.youtube.com/koreanheritage), and Instagram account (@visitkoreanheritage).

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