NewJeans designated as Korean tourism ambassador in campaign targeting youth

Girl group NewJeans was officially appointed as an honorary ambassador for Korean tourism by the government at a ceremony held Thursday morning.

Culture Minister Yu In-chon, far left, presents girl group NewJeans with a plaque at the appointment ceremony held at Grand Hyatt Seoul in Yongsan District, central Seoul on July 11. [YONHAP]

Girl group NewJeans was officially appointed as an honorary ambassador for Korean tourism by the government at a ceremony held Thursday morning.

Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Yu In-chon presented the girl group with an honorary ambassador plaque at the ceremony. The quintet will be working in partnership with the Culture Ministry and the Korea Tourism Organization (KTO) as an ambassador for Korean tourism.

The appointment ceremony — held at the Grand Hyatt Seoul hotel in Yongsan District, central Seoul — included an onstage interview of NewJeans and Yu, and the unveiling of two Korean tourism commercials featuring the girl group.

"We are truly delighted to be appointed as ambassadors to promote Korean tourism," said group member Minji. "We will take the lead with a joyful heart to showcase the various charms of Korea."

Hyein was not present at the event due to health reasons.

Appointing NewJeans to the honorary position comes as the Culture Ministry aims to target the youth, who "accounts for one in three inbound visitors to Korea," according to the ministry.

Minister Yu, far left, speaks with NewJeans at the appointment ceremony on July 11. [MINISTRY OF CULTURE, SPORTS AND TOURISM]

"We have high expectations that more people from around the world will visit Korea in the second half of the year, as NewJeans takes on the role of honorary ambassador for Korean tourism," said Yu. "We ask that NewJeans says, 'Please visit Korea a lot,' whenever it has the opportunity to hold concerts or interviews abroad in the future."

"I recommend experiencing hanok [traditional house]," said Haerin. "Experiencing the unique beauty and nature of hanok will be an unforgettable experience."

"Since it's summer and the weather is hot, you can enjoy delicious dishes like samgyetang [chicken soup] or mulnaengmyeon [cold noodles]," said Hanni.

The two tourism commercials with NewJeans were created under the theme of "Koreans' Korea," a concept conveying a local feel that "cannot be found through [online] searches," according to the Culture Ministry. One commercial focused on Korean food, while the other focused on cultural experiences.

Minister Yu, far left, speaks with NewJeans at the appointment ceremony on July 11. [MINISTRY OF CULTURE, SPORTS AND TOURISM]

The commercials featured NewJeans introducing various cultural experiences in Korea, including K-pop interactive experiences, how to eat Korean food, trendy photo shoot spots, E-sports matches, Korean traditional architecture and more.

The commercials were uploaded to the Korean tourism YouTube channel, Imagine Your Korea, on Thursday. The commercials will also be shown on billboards in 12 cities worldwide, including Tokyo, Shanghai, Bangkok, Dubai, Mexico City and New York's Times Square.

The Culture Ministry and the KTO will also produce the short-form series — titled "K100" — to promote Korean culture. NewJeans members will appear in these shorts to introduce various aspects of Korea, such as food culture, photography and tourism-related Korean institutions. “K100” will be displayed on digital screens throughout Paris during the Paris Olympics.

Minister Yu also unveiled plans to archive and honor the history of Korean pop culture, "which is continuously receiving love from all around the world," according to the minister.

NewJeans poses for cameras at the appointment ceremony on July 11. [MINISTRY OF CULTURE, SPORTS AND TOURISM]

Yu has revealed plans to establish a hall of fame museum for popular culture and artists during the ceremony.

"At present, popular culture is playing a more significant role than any diplomatic efforts we have," said Yu. "The nation must now ensure to properly recognize and document the treatment, history and development of our popular culture from this point forward."

To find out more about NewJeans, visit Celeb Confirmed!

BY KIM MIN-YOUNG [kim.minyoung5@joongang.co.kr]