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| Paul Hershberger, who runs his own YouTube channel and blog, both named "Tastes Seoul Good," tries street food at Noryangjin in southern Seoul, in May. / Courtesy of Paul Hershberger |
By Jun Ji-hye
Paul Hershberger from the United States, who teaches English at a vocational college in Seoul, has recently become a member of "Hello Korea," a group run by the Korea Tourism Organization (KTO) to promote the country and its attractions around the world.
The group that was launched Aug. 8, brought together 28 social media influencers from 17 countries including the United States, Britain and Spain, who currently reside in Korea.
The KTO said the members of the group are given opportunities to participate in trips around the country designed by local tourism organizations and tasked with creating content about the nation's tourist attractions to be promoted via their social media accounts.
Hershberger, who runs the YouTube channel and blog, both named "Tastes Seoul Good," decided to join the Hello Korea group so he could focus on creating videos, and leave the logistics and planning to someone else.
"With Hello Korea, I am able to travel to some unique areas and learn about the history and culture of those locations," he said during an interview with The Korea Times. "While there are many interesting places in Korea to visit, many of them have no information in English on social media. By joining Hello Korea, I am able to experience these places for myself and help publicize them as tourist destinations for foreign visitors."
As his YouTube channel and blog mainly focus on discovering new foods in Korea, Hershberger is planning to focus on the food part of the trips.
"When we have free time to explore the area on our own, I will immediately go exploring and try to find some special snacks or delicacies to show in my vlog," he said.
Hershberger, who first arrived in Korea in August 2009, said Korea deserves to be on every traveler's bucket list as it has something for every type of traveler ― from beaches to mountains to big cities.
"I always encourage travelers to take a bit of time and explore the rural side of Korea," he said. "With the KTX and other transportation options, it is very simple to explore multiple locations in a short time."
He expects programs such as Hello Korea to contribute to attracting more foreign tourists as social media plays a huge part in helping travelers choose their next destination.
"By allowing vloggers and bloggers to showcase the country, potential travelers can learn about places that interest them and that might encourage them to visit the country," he said.
