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Korea Herald
7 days ago
- Entertainment
- Korea Herald
Nol Universe partners with KOFICE to boost global reach of MyK Festa
South Korean travel and leisure platform Nol Universe said Friday that it signed a memorandum of understanding with the Korean Foundation for International Cultural Exchange to promote the global expansion of MyK FESTA, a major government-hosted hallyu festival, and attract more tourists to Korea. Park Chang-sik, president of KOFICE, which is an affiliate of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, and Nol Universe CEO Bae Bo-chan attended the signing ceremony on Wednesday in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province. Under the agreement, the two sides will collaborate on international marketing and audience expansion for MyK FESTA, which is scheduled to run from June 19 to 22 at venues around Seoul's Olympic Park. Hosted by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and organized by KOFICE, the event is a large-scale hallyu festival featuring performances by K-pop artists such as ITZY, Lee Young-ji and aespa, as well as exhibitions, experience zones, an international conference and export consultation sessions. By leveraging Nol Universe's K-pop concert ticket platform Interpark Global and the company's capabilities in marketing based on customer relationship management, the partnership aims to position MyK FESTA as a must-visit destination for global K-pop fans. 'This partnership marks a step forward in strengthening the inbound tourism ecosystem centered on K-content,' said Bae. 'We aim to offer unique cultural experiences through strategic collaborations with key industry players.' 'This memorandum is a strategic move linking the global expansion of hallyu-related industries with efforts to draw more international visitors," Park said.
The Star
28-05-2025
- Business
- The Star
Jia Jia and De De chosen as names for Hong Kong's twin panda cubs
Panda mum Ying Ying and her twin cubs, Jia Jia (left) and De De, at Ocean Park's Giant Panda Adventure on Tuesday. -- Photo: Eugene Lee Lo Hoi-ying / SCMP Hong Kong's nine-month-old twin panda cubs, previously known only as 'Elder Sister' and 'Younger Brother', have been named Jia Jia and De De, respectively, conveying the Cantonese slang term for encouragement 'add oil' and the notion of virtue. Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism Rosanna Law Shuk-pui revealed on Tuesday the results of the panda naming contest, which received more than 35,700 entries from members of the public since submissions opened in February. 'All suggestions reflected beautiful blessings for the giant pandas,' she said. The Chinese characters for Jia Jia conveyed a message of support, 'add oil' in Cantonese, and had the same pronunciation as the words 'home' and 'auspices' in Mandarin, the park said. 'Younger Brother' has been named De De, after the Chinese word meaning 'success'. De shares the same pronunciation as the Mandarin and Cantonese pronunciation for 'virtue', suggesting that giant pandas possess virtues cherished by the Chinese. Jia Jia is also the English name of another panda who lived at Ocean Park until her death in 2016, although the Chinese characters for the name of 'Elder Sister' are different. Chairman Paulo Pong Kin-yee said visitor numbers and revenue had increased during the Easter and Labour Day holidays. 'What's worth noting is that the per cap spending has also increased,' he said. 'We feel that this will continue well into the summer.' He added that the park had benefited from increased exposure and intellectual property fees brought in by the Panda Friends series' product sales. 'It's been a very good first half of the year for the park,' he said. Pong also added that exclusive VIP tours that allowed visitors to see the twin cubs brought in more than HK$2 million (US$255,177) in March and April. The tours, which cost HK$1,500 per person, provided visitors early access to the facilities and a half-hour to capture pictures of the cubs. Ocean Park earlier said that the nicknames 'Elder Sister' and 'Younger Brother' would be kept as usual, while the Mandarin pinyin of the selected Chinese names would be adopted as the English names. On the same day, the cubs and mother Ying Ying were to be moved to the Alpine Zone of their enclosure at the Giant Panda Adventure. Pong said that the cubs already weighed more than 21kg (46lbs) and visitors no longer had to be separated by a glass panel when visiting them in their new enclosure. The enclosure will be open from 10am to 4.30pm daily starting on Wednesday for visitors to catch the twins together with their mother. The twins' father, Le Le, is housed at the Giant Panda Adventure but separate from Ying Ying and the twins, in line with their natural solitary behaviour, according to Ocean Park. The cubs have been drawing fans to the enclosure every day since they made their public debut on February 16, six months after they were born on August 15 last year. Ying Ying became the oldest first-time panda mum in captivity when she gave birth to the cubs. The journey to parenthood for Ying Ying and Le Le took more than 10 years, with multiple phantom pregnancies and miscarriages.
Korea Herald
23-05-2025
- Korea Herald
Korea's UNESCO cultural heritage through foreign eyes
Culture ministry to carry out 'Unlock Korea's Treasures' tours for foreign content creators between June and November The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism is launching a series of cultural heritage tours designed for foreign national content creators living in Korea. The program, which runs June to November, invites participants to explore Korea's UNESCO-listed heritage sites through a two- or three-day trip and share their experiences globally through digital content. To raise global awareness of the value and excellence of Korean cultural heritage the MCST launched the program in 2014. This year, the series kicks off under the theme of 'Unlock Korea's Treasures' in June with tours in Jeongeup, North Jeolla Province, and Busan. These are followed by tours in Gwangju and Suwon, Gyeonggi Province, in September; Yeosu, South Jeolla Province, in October; and Pyeongchang, Gangwon Province, in November. 'Anyone who creates digital content, professional or non-professional, could apply for the trips,' an official told The Korea Herald. The ministry will select foreign residents who are active in online content creation and offer them immersive tour opportunities. Participants will document their experiences through video and social media posts, helping to spread Korean heritage content across the globe. 'Even for foreign residents who have lived in Korea for years, there are limited opportunities to explore the country's cultural heritage in depth. Through this program, we hope participants will not only experience Korea's invaluable treasures firsthand, but also act as cultural ambassadors who help introduce them to the world,' the official said. In Jeongeup, participants will visit Museongseowon Confucian Academy to learn about Korea's neo-confucian legacy, and the Donghak Peasant Revolution Memorial Park, which commemorates the spirit of grassroots resistance and reform. In Busan, they will trace historical landmarks from the Korean War era when the city served as a wartime capital, and capture the vibrant scenery of Gamcheon Culture Village. The Gwangju and Suwon leg includes visits to Namhansanseong Fortress and Hwaseong Fortress, where participants will uncover the historical figures and pivotal events tied to these iconic sites. In Yeosu the tour will center around the Nanjung Ilgi (War Diary of Admiral Yi Sun-sin), a UNESCO Memory of the World document. Participants will learn about Yi's naval battles during the Joseon dynasty, while also experiencing the romantic coastal nightscape and a tidal flat eco-tour. The program concludes in Pyeongchang where participants will take part in a kimchi-making event, experiencing kimjang, a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage tradition. They will also visit the Annals of the Joseon Dynasty Museum and Gwangcheon Seongul Cave, deepening their understanding of Korea's historical and natural heritage. UNESCO-designated heritage represents assets of "Outstanding Universal Value" that all humanity must work to preserve. As of 2024, Korea boasts 16 World Heritage sites, 23 items of Intangible Cultural Heritage and 20 entries in the Memory of the World Register. Each regional tour will be documented and uploaded to official YouTube channel. In addition, the ministry plans to produce specially curated videos centered on Korea's UNESCO heritage, expanding the global reach of Korean culture through online media.
Korea Herald
20-05-2025
- Business
- Korea Herald
Korea showcases medical and beauty tourism at Kuwait Health & Beauty Festa
The Korea Tourism Organization and South Korea's Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism hosted the 2025 Korea Health & Beauty Festa in Kuwait from Thursday to Saturday, spotlighting Korean health care, beauty products and medical tourism to Middle Eastern audiences. The event aimed to promote South Korea's growing health and beauty tourism industry, particularly targeting high-income travelers in oil-producing nations like Kuwait. These travelers often take extended trips abroad and show increasing interest in wellness and cosmetic services. According to the KTO, the number of Kuwaiti tourists visiting South Korea in 2024 rose 27 percent compared to prepandemic levels. Among them, many medical tourists sought treatment at dermatology clinics, Korean medicine clinics and plastic surgery centers. The festival, held at The Avenues — the second-largest shopping mall in the Middle East— drew more than 400,000 visitors. Attendees experienced a wide array of offerings, including Korean beauty products, personal color consultations, AI skin diagnostics and nail art demonstrations. On May 16-17, the festival's business-to-business consultation event took place at the Jumeirah Hotel Kuwait, bringing together more than 100 professionals from both countries' health care and tourism sectors. Discussions focused on expanding cooperation in the medical tourism industry. The three-day event resulted in 2,481 on-site consultations and led to 189 contracts and memoranda of understanding, with projected revenue of approximately 3 billion won ($2.15 million). 'Middle Eastern visitors to Korea spend an average of $3,637 per person, more than 70 percent higher than the average international visitor. This makes the region a high-value, emerging market," a KTO official said. The official added that the festival marked a turning point for medical tourism in the region, shifting the focus from treatment of serious illnesses to services like dermatology and cosmetic skin care, especially amid growing social openness and wellness interests among Middle Eastern women.
Korea Herald
16-05-2025
- Politics
- Korea Herald
Culture Minister Yu In-chon to head delegation to pope inauguration Sunday
Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Yu In-chon will lead the South Korean delegation to the formal inauguration Mass of Pope Leo XIV at St. Peter's Square in Vatican City on Sunday. Yu will attend the ceremony alongside South Korea's ambassador to the Holy See, Oh Hyun-joo, joining representatives and religious leaders from some 200 countries. Notable attendees include US Vice President JD Vance, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney and Britain's Prince Edward. Separately, prominent Korean Catholic leaders will be in attendance. They are Cardinal Andrew Yeom Soo-jung, former archbishop of Seoul; Bishop Mathias Lee Yong-hoon, president of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of Korea; and Seoul Archbishop Peter Chung Soon-taick. They will be joined by Cardinal Lazarus You Heung-sik, the Vatican's prefect of the Congregation for the Clergy. Meanwhile, Pope Leo XIV, the first pontiff from the United States, presided over his first Mass on Friday, pledging to lead a humble church open to 'ordinary people.' His emphasis on advocating for the poor, migrants and women deacons — principles embraced by the late Pope Francis — signaling the potential for continuing tension with conservative traditionalists during his papacy.
