28-year-old actor Lee Min Ho will appear as a spokesmodel for Korean tourism, in an ad campaign targeting international audiences. According to a July 24 report published by Yonhap News, the Hallyu star will appear in overseas ads, which will address the recent decline in tourists visiting Korea, following an outbreak of the Middle Eastern Respiratory Syndrome (MERS).
In the ad campaign, Lee will provide an introduction to four or five tourist spots throughout Korea. The article notes that Lee completed filming the ads, earlier this month.
A representative for the Korean Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism is cited throughout the article published by Yonhap News.
"We are launching an ad campaign that will motivate visitors from major overseas foreign markets to visit [Korea], for an early recovery of the domestic tourism market, which has been mired in a slump due to the spread of MERS," said an official for the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism.
The article noted statistics from the Korean Tourism Organization, which has noted a decline in foreign visitors, following the MERS outbreak. According to the Yonhap News article, 41 percent fewer international visitors traveled to Korea in June 2015, when compared to statistics from the previous year.
The ad campaign will specifically target tourists China, Japan Taiwan, Thailand, and North America. Ads starring Lee Min Ho will air on the U.S. news channel CNN and Arirang TV, an English-language broadcaster of Korean news. The commercials will also air on China's CCTV, 26 foreign market stations, and YouTube.
Lee has served a virtual ambassador for Korean tourism through other campaigns including commercials for Lotte Duty-Free, but these ads will place the actor in a more official role as a tourist representative of the nation. International audiences have become fond of the actor due to his roles in popular dramas including "Boys Over Flowers" and "The Heirs."
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About the writer: Adrienne Stanley is a contributing editor for KDramastars. She is also a contributing writer for KpopStarz, MTV Iggy, Viki and CJ Entertainment's KCON blog. Her passions include a love of K-pop and Asian drama. When she is not writing, she is hanging out on Twitter (@retrogirladdy).
