Local governments working on 'BTS place marketing'

BTS members lie on sun beds at Maengbang Beach in Samcheok, Gangwon Province, during a photo shoot for the album jacket of "Butter." Screenshot from Twitter

By Bahk Eun-ji

It is not new that K-pop boy band BTS has a huge influence on not only the global music industry but also many other cultural areas.

Especially in Korea, the sites that members have visited for music videos, photo shoots or even personal trips have become must-visit destinations for fans, drawing not only domestic tourists but also tourists from abroad.

Although foreign tourists' visits are limited for now due to the COVID-19 pandemic, local governments here keep promoting attractions tied to BTS.

Maengbang Beach for 'Butter'

Sun beds and parasols have been set up at Maengbang Beach in Samcheok, Gangwon Province, by the city government, following requests from BTS fans. Courtesy of Samcheok City

Samcheok City in Gangwon Province recently installed a "BTS Photo Zone" on Maengbang Beach where the band members posed for the album art for their Billboard hit digital single, "Butter," which was packaged with the B-side track, "Permission to Dance."

After the release of the album, the city government has received inquiries about the location of the photo shoot and calls to restore the setting so that BTS fans, called ARMY, can visit.

In response, it recently restored the setting from the video on the beach, featuring a beach volleyball net, referee chair, parasols and sunbeds. It plans to set up a BTS sculpture soon and operate a stamp tour for sites in the region recommended by the band members.

Maengbang Beach / Courtesy of Samcheok City

Samcheok City plans to manage the photo zone by limiting the number of visitors and urging them to observe quarantine rules, such as distancing while waiting their turn to take photos.

Maengbang Beach is also known as "Myeongsasimni," which refers to a long sandy beach. Just south of the photo zone is Mount Deokbong, a small hill that was selected this year as one of the "safe travel destinations" during the pandemic by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Korea Tourism Organization. A trail on the hill was recently reopened after 53 years of closure.

Bus stop for ARMY, Hyangho Beach in Gangneung

The bus stop at Hyangho Beach in Jumunjin, Gangneung, Gangwon Province, is one of the most popular spots that BTS fans from around the world want to visit the most, according to a survey conducted by the Korea Tourism Organization in June 2019.

A bus stop at Hyangho Beach in Jumunjin, Gangneung, Gangwon Province, which appeared on the cover of "You Never Walk Alone" in 2017 / Korea Times file

The place became famous after it appeared in the album art for "You Never Walk Alone" in 2017.

The bus stop was demolished after the photo shoot, but Gangneung City restored it in July 2018, upon the request of fans. Currently no bus actually stops there, though many people still keep visiting the stop not only in the summer but also throughout the year.

There is a street light so visitors can take photos even at night. BTS songs are played there from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Ueum Island for 'Spring Day'

Ueum Island in Hwaseong, Gyeonggi Province / Korea Times file

The final scene in the music video for "Spring Day" was filmed at Ueum Island in Hwaseong, Gyeonggi Province.

Ueum, meaning the sound of a cow, was named as the island looked like a cow or people claimed they could hear the sound of cows crying. It was originally an island, but it has become a part of the mainland following a land reclamation project at Sihwa Lake.

It is believed to have been a habitat of dinosaurs from the Cretaceous period, and more than 30 nests and 200 egg fossils have been found there.

Besides the fossil sites, Ueum Island is attracting attention among photographers for the view of reeds featured in the music video.

Dae Jang Geum Park for 'Daechwita'

BTS member Suga in the music video for "Daechwita" / Screen capture from Twitter

Dae Jang Geum Park in Yongin, Gyeonggi Province, is known to be the music video shooting location for BTS member Suga's second mixtape, "Daechwita."

The music video features traditional Korean houses called hanok, as well as a palace. Suga's appearance in hanbok and rapping over the Korean traditional music melody caused ARMY members all over the world to go wild.

The park is one of the largest outdoor sets here, where period dramas, movies and commercials are filmed on the huge site, which is 2.8 million square meters in size.

It reproduced streets and houses of various periods of the Korean Peninsula from the Three Kingdoms Period (18 B.C.-660 A.D.) to the Goryeo Dynasty Period (918-1392) and the Joseon Dynasty Period (1392-1910).

Visitors can look around the set and try on royal costumes. It was one of the most popular tourist destinations for hallyu fans before the coronavirus outbreak.

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