By Kwon Mee-yoo
Staff Reporter
The new slogan for Korean tourism "Korea, Be Inspired" was announced last week, triggered debate on the effectiveness of the catchphrase to better promote the country.
In response, The Korea Times wrote an article on the matter in its Tuesday edition.
Here are a sample of the reactions to the article from online and offline responses.
The netizen "dmblum" said that the new slogan is "not very slick but honest," expressing his preference for something more catchy. He suggested "Korea Captivating."
Michael Chung of New York suggested "Korea, the Spice of Asia." He said that Westerners immediately associate spicy food with Korea.
Others criticized the government for changing the national tourism catchphrase too often.
A blogger nicknamed Kamji said slogans should relate to past campaigns. "The new slogan is a discontinuation of the previous catchphrases ― 'Korea Sparkling' and 'Dynamic Korea,'" she said.
She also pointed out that the Korea Tourism Organization (KTO) didn't use one standard slogan. "On the KTO's Web site, the slogan ''Korea, Be Inspired' was used but on some other sites and promotions, 'Korea Inspiring' is used," she said.
"It might be confusing and less credible if the slogan is not unified in the campaign. The motto symbolizes the national image of Korea and thus the campaign should be conducted in a more prudent way."
Some gave the opinion that Korea lacks tourist resources, not a catchy slogan.
"If Korea had anything going for it as a tourist destination it wouldn't need a slogan," a netizen nicknamed CaptPorridge said.