On the 21st, checks on the trends of foreign tourists visiting Myeongdong
“We’ll fully support the expansion of tourism infrastructure and content”,
On the 21st, Acting President and Deputy Prime Minister Choi Sang-mok, who is also the Minister of Strategy and Finance, visited the Korea Grand Sale Myeongdong Welcome Center and Olive Young Myeongdong Town branch in Jung-gu, Seoul, to inspect the site of foreign tourism to Korea and encourage the officials. ⓒYonhap News, ‘[Dailyan = Reporter Kim Hee-jung] Acting President and Deputy Prime Minister Choi Sang-mok, who is also the Minister of Strategy and Finance, stated, “We will further enhance promotional activities targeting foreigners to ensure that the expansion of tourism to Korea can invigorate domestic demand and the people’s economy.”
,
, On the 21st, Acting President Choi visited the Korea Grand Sale Myeongdong Welcome Center and Olive Young Myeongdong Town branch in Seoul’s Myeongdong and said, “We will fully support the expansion of tourism infrastructure and content so that the warmth of revitalizing tourism in Korea can spread nationwide, using the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit as an opportunity.”
,
, The purpose of this visit was to directly assess the Korean tourism market amid the trend of increasing foreign visitors to Korea and to check and promote the progress of the ‘2025 Korea Grand Sale.’
,
, To activate tourism for foreigners visiting Korea, the government is holding a large-scale public and private collaborative shopping tourism festival, the Korea Grand Sale, to promote related products such as K-culture experiences and provide discounts on shopping, air travel, and accommodations. Welcome centers have been installed at major tourism and shopping hubs like Myeongdong, Seongsu, Hongdae, Gangnam, and Jamsil to provide relevant information and bridge shopping tourism services such as interpreters and buyer perks.
,
, At the Korea Grand Sale Myeongdong Welcome Center, Acting President Choi reviewed shopping and tourism benefits and multilingual tourism guide services, encouraging the efforts of the participating 1,680 companies and on-site personnel. He also presented a souvenir to the 12,000th visiting foreign tourist at the Welcome Center.
,
, After moving to Olive Young Myeongdong Town branch, Acting President Choi participated in a docents tour program with foreign tourists, listening to explanations about K-beauty trends and popular products among foreign tourists, and examined the operation of shopping convenience services for foreign tourists, such as immediate VAT refunds.
,
, Foreign tourists who had conversations with Acting President Choi expressed, “While traveling in Korea, we admired its beauty, safety, and convenience,” and “we hope opportunities to directly experience more diverse K-culture will expand for foreign tourists.”
,
, Acting President Choi stated, “We will make our utmost effort to ensure that foreign tourists have no inconvenience, even in the smallest details, throughout the stages of entry, movement, and shopping in Korea.”