south korea's heart & soul

NEVER underestimate the power of pop culture as an effective marketing tool to bolster tourism in a country. Take the case of South Korea. The government is now betting on the international fame of Psy, who rocked the world with his “Gangnam Style” last year, and television soaps like Winter Sonata to lure tourists.

“The Korean wave of popular Korean dramas and, of course, Psy are among the factors that keep tourists coming into the country,” said Hwang Seong-un, director of the Korean Cultural Center in Manila, in an interview at the sidelines of the launching of the Korea Winter Travel Fair recently.

Of course by now, we all know who Psy is and how to dance and dress up in the none-too-subtle “Gangnam Style” fashion—unless you have been living in another planet. Pop superstars all over the world including Madonna have gone crazy over Psy, now among the country’s top exports, and one of the most recognizable South Korean brands along with Samsung and Hyundai.

Who can forget Winter Sonata? The second part in the Endless Love television drama series has so captured the hearts and souls of fans all over Asia that the picturesque Nami Island, where some of the scenes were filmed, is now a famous tourist destination.  The most popular activity in the island, located in the Chuncheon, Gangwon province, about 60 kilometers east of Seoul, is biking around the place that will make retracing the footsteps of the drama’s beloved star-crossed lovers breezy. There are bicycles available for rent.

While on a bike, tourists can visit the ostrich farm in the island, where they can race with the large birds famous for their featherless, elongated necks that roam free in the area.

The Philippines is only one of the Asian countries that the organizers of the fair, the Korean Cultural Center and the Korea Tourism Organization, are eyeing to boost tourism in the country. There are also tourism fairs being held in Thailand, Malaysia and Vietnam, among others.

Travel agencies participating in the fair, which was held recently at SM Aura Premier, attest to the continuing allure of Winter Sonata, which aired in the Philippines in 2004, in attracting visitors to South Korea.

“We always receive inquiries from would-be travelers if they can visit the place where Winter Sonata was filmed,” said Austin Daryle Rabelas, sales coordinator at Rajah Travel Corp., which had a booth at the fair.

“The drama series ignited a curiosity and awareness among Filipinos about the beauty of Korea.”

The visit to the Nami Island is just one of the packages available to travelers. There is also a five-day pilgrimage for soul-soothing seekers to visit different places of worships such as the Gamgok Maegoe Virgin Mary Catholic Cathedral, Martyrs’ Church, Saint Andreas Kim Church, the Jeoldusan Martyrs Shrine and Museum, and the Cathedral of Penance and Atonement.

The pilgrimage tours are still new, especially among the Catholic Filipinos—maybe because South Korea is still perceived as a largely Buddhist country. But unknown to many, there are nearly as many Christians as there are Buddhists in the country today, thanks to a young South Korean named Lee Seung-hoon, who after a trip to China in 1784 discovered Christianity and became baptized. He then set up a small church once he came back to South Korea and preached the gospel.

Among these churches, the Maegoe Cathedral is the country’s oldest—first built in 1903 as a wooden structure and was rebuilt into its present concrete form in 1930—is located on top of a hill in the Gamgok-myeon. (Myeon, by the way, is a sub-unit in South Korea’s administrative divisions, and is smaller than a city and a town, with population of less than 500,000.)

The Maegoe Cathedral is considered the Lourdes of Korea where instances of miracles have been reported since 1896.

Asiana Airlines, one of South Korea’s two major airlines, offers pilgrimage tours priced at $638 for a four-day, three-night stay; and $738 for a five-day, four-night package.

Other packages on offer include “Wellness in Korea,” which is all about beauty and, well, wellness; “Winter in Korea” featuring trips to the country’s famous ski resorts; and “Culture of Korea” replete with tours to its rich cultural and historical sites such as the Bulguka Temple museums, and a pottery village, among others.

Through these fairs and other initiatives that will include a food expo in December, South Korea hopes to boost the number of Filipinos visiting the country. Right now, the balance of tourism is in favor of the Philippines, where last year alone more than 1 million South Koreans visited the Southeast Asian country, while less than 300,000 Filipinos toured South Korea.

But things may soon change. With the Philippine economy on a steady climb, and as more South Korean pop stars invade the country, hopefully there will be more Filipinos that will be enticed to relive Winter Sonata in Nami Island not only on winter but also during summer, autumn and spring. 

***For more information about the Winter Tour package and other information about South Korea, call 880-0312 to 13, or visit www.visitkorea.or.kr.