Lee Hae-rin is a City Desk reporter at The Korea Times, covering social issues, tourism and taekwondo. She is passionate about speaking up for the rights of minorities, including women, LGBTQ+, people with disabilities and animals as well as discovering the latest makgeolli trend in town. Feel free to reach her at lhr@koreatimes.co.kr.
Tourism industry welcomes first insider as culture minister nominee
Chae Hwi-young, co-CEO of NOL Universe, who was nominated to lead the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism by President Lee Jae Myung, talks to reporters at the ministry's transition office in Seoul, Monday. Yonhap
By Lee Hae-rin
Industry experts laud long-awaited change, but tough road to reform lies ahead
Korea’s tourism industry is expressing cautious optimism after President Lee Jae Myung nominated Chae Hwi-young, co-CEO of NOL Universe, the country’s largest travel platform, as the next minister of culture, sports and tourism.
Announced last Friday, the nomination marks the first time since the ministry’s 2008 reorganization that a candidate with deep roots in tourism has been chosen, breaking from the tradition of appointing officials from culture or sports.
Chae, 61, is a Busan native and a graduate of Sogang University’s English literature program. He began his career as a journalist at Yonhap News and YTN before moving into the tech sector, holding key roles at Yahoo Korea and NHN — now Naver.
In 2016, he founded the travel platform Triple, which leverages user travel histories to offer personalized recommendations. After Triple was acquired by Yanolja and merged with Interpark, Chae served as CEO during the transition. He now co-leads NOL Universe, a platform that integrates Yanolja’s accommodation services, Interpark’s ticketing and Triple’s artificial intelligence-driven travel recommendations.
The Lee administration’s nomination of Chae is viewed as a strategic step toward realizing its vision of increasing the scale of the K-culture market from around 140 trillion won ($101 billion) to 300 trillion won.
The presidential office highlighted Chae's background, particularly as co-CEO of NOL Universe and founder of a travel platform, as directly aligning with the administration's ambitious goal.
“He brings expertise as an online portal CEO and travel platform founder,” said Kang Hoon-sik, presidential chief of staff. “His private-sector experience and innovative mindset make him the right CEO to turn the president’s vision into reality.”
Several tourism professionals welcomed the move with enthusiasm.
“We (the tourism industry) have always felt left out, with ministers coming from culture or sports. For the first time, someone who truly understands our industry is being considered,” said a local travel company executive surnamed Lee.
Travelers talk to a tourism information center official at the Myeong-dong shopping district in downtown Seoul, June 26. Yonhap
“If I meet the president and ask him for one thing, it would be to lift the Google Maps restriction. That alone would move our industry forward by leaps and bounds,” Lee added. “Chae is someone who gets these real issues. The industry has been waiting for a leader like this.”
Chae co-authored the book “The Road to Becoming a Tourism Powerhouse in Korea,” which stresses the urgent need for regulatory reforms, including lifting restrictions on Google Maps. The book argues that full access to global mapping services is essential for Korea to compete as a top-tier tourist destination and offer a seamless experience to international visitors.
Korea’s restrictions on Google Maps stem from 1970s-era security laws that bar exporting detailed map data to foreign servers amid North Korea tensions. As a result, Google Maps lacks key features in the country, complicating navigation for foreign tourists. Although local apps like Naver and Kakao fill the gap, studies suggest lifting these restrictions could draw up to 6.8 million more foreign visitors annually and boost tourism revenue by billions.
Lee Hoon, a tourism professor at Hanyang University, shared the optimism but urged caution.
“It’s encouraging to see a true industry expert nominated. For too long, tourism has been overlooked as a future growth engine,” he said. “But the minister must listen to both industry and academia, and balance innovation with the needs of existing players.”
He also emphasized the importance of collaborative leadership.
“Tourism is a complex ecosystem. The new minister should engage widely and seek solutions that fit Korea’s unique context," he said, adding that the nominee should hold perspectives that are more policy-centered than business-oriented.
Foreign visitors try Korea’s traditional wedding experience program at Cheonggye Plaza in downtown Seoul, June 7. Yonhap
In 2024, Korea welcomed roughly 16.37 million foreign visitors, up by 48 percent from the previous year and reaching about 94 percent of the prepandemic total seen in 2019.
Despite the strong rebound in visitor numbers, revenue from tourism totaled $16.7 billion — still roughly 34 percent below the 2019 peak. This gap reflects ongoing challenges in visitor spending and a widening tourism deficit, as outbound travel by Koreans continues to outpace inbound arrivals.
On his first day at work Monday, Chae arrived at the ministry’s transition office in casual attire, reflecting his reputation as an unconventional leader.
“I feel a heavy sense of responsibility,” he told reporters. “Looking back at the achievements of our cultural and artistic communities, I am filled with pride. But we must ask ourselves if we are truly making the most of this opportunity. I will seek out what needs to be done from a new perspective and work to put those ideas into action.”