A scene from the Netflix variety show “Crazy Foodie”, featuring Japanese actor Yutaka Matsushige (left) and Korean singer Sung Si-kyung (right) visiting a renowned restaurant. / Photo provided by the Korea Tourism Organization.
The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Korea Tourism Organization announced on the 16th that they are collaborating with the popular Netflix variety show to attract Japanese tourists.
On this day, the organization signed a business agreement with “Studio Modak”, the production company of “Crazy Foodie” (gourmet friend’s gourmet place). The program stars Yutaka Matsushige, known for the popular Japanese show “Solitary Gourmet”, and singer Sung Si-kyung. All content is in Japanese, making it highly popular among Japanese viewers.
As part of the agreement, the organization will support the production of Korean episodes of “Crazy Foodie” by providing information on local food and culinary culture representative of different regions in Korea.
The Japan branch of the organization plans to launch culinary-themed travel packages in collaboration with the local travel industry, allowing tourists to experience the regions and restaurants featured in the program. They aim to foster an atmosphere of visiting Korea by highlighting scenes that become popular after the program’s broadcast.
Eugene Ho, head of the Tourism Content Strategy Division, mentioned, “According to a 2024 survey on potential visitors to Korea, the number one factor for Japanese tourists deciding to visit was food, and culinary tourism was ranked second as a major activity in Korea. Through collaboration, we can more engagingly convey Korea’s charms and generate new demand for visiting Korea from Japan.”