Actor Park Bo-gum headlines Korea's new cinematic push for tourists

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Korea Tourism Organization will release a new overseas tourism promotional video on July 15 built around celebrated Korean actor Park Bo-gum, framed as a short film rather than a traditional ad.

The video launches the tourism organization's 2026 global campaign, "Begin to Hear Korea." Park, who is serving his second consecutive year as honorary tourism ambassador for Korea, appeared in last year's campaign discovering various parts of the country.

In this year's installment, he plays a "music director" who travels around Korea with Danish musician Ki, collecting everyday sounds and turning them into a single piece of music.

The campaign is built around listening rather than sightseeing, aiming for what the tourism organization described as full auditory immersion.

It draws on a travel trend known as "dailycation" — a blend of "daily" and "vacation" describing visitors who want to experience ordinary local life rather than typical tourist activities.

The video features sounds that may seem unfamiliar to foreign visitors but are distinc