Do not go gentle into that good night, old age should burn and rave at close of day; Rage, rage against the dying of the light, though wise men at their end know dark is right, because their words had forked no lightning they, do not go gentle into that good night.
Actor Park Bo-gum headlines Korea's new cinematic push for tourists
Actor Park Bo-gum / Courtesy of Korea Tourism Organization
By Jhoo Dong-chan
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 distinctly Korean, including subway station announcements, the bustle of a traditional market and wind chimes hanging from the eaves of a hanok, a traditional Korean house.
The full video will premiere July 15 on the tourism organization's YouTube channel, @VISITKOREA.
A teaser introducing the film's main characters was released July 10. The organization plans to expand distribution to streaming platforms, smart TVs and in-flight entertainment systems.
In October, the tourism organization will hold a companion event, "Korea Sound Journey," bringing together about 100 foreign participants for a program that includes a "Sound Walk" through Seoul and a "Sound Talk & Share" session with Park.
Participants will be selected by lottery from correct entrants in a "Park Bo-gum sound quiz" event to run on the VISITKOREA YouTube channel starting July 15.
"This year's campaign is a new attempt to expand travel to Korea from something visitors see to something they experience through sound," Park Sung-hyeuck, president of the Korea Tourism Organization, said in a statement.
"We designed it so that experiencing Korea's everyday life and emotions through sound in a single film could lead to an actual trip to Korea, driven by a desire to hear those sounds and see those places in person."
This article was published with the assistance of generative AI and edited by The Korea Times.