Two members of K-pop girl group Aespa alongside boy band Riize are stepping out of an old ink painting and into present-day Seoul in the city's latest global tourism campaign, which launched Wednesday with a teaser video.
The Seoul Metropolitan Government and the Seoul Tourism Organization named Aespa's Karina and Winter, along with Riize, as honorary tourism ambassadors for 2026. The artists front "Absolutely in Seoul," a campaign built around what organizers call "Seoul Syndrome," a lingering urge to return to the city after a visit.
The campaign film opens with mock news footage reporting cases of Seoul Syndrome around the world. Figures from a traditional "sinseondo" — a painting of Daoist immortals — then appear in modern Seoul, where Karina, Winter and Riize take on the roles of present-day immortals using supernatural powers across the city.
The storyline plays on fantasy scenarios, including food that makes people crave more with each bite, ordinary moments that turn into K-drama scenes and a blurring of day and night. The videos highlight dining, beauty, night tourism and Korean culture.
Nine videos in total are to be released through Visit Seoul's YouTube and social media channels.
Online events will run alongside the videos, including a comment event asking viewers to share their experiences with Seoul Syndrome.
Offline events tied to the campaign begin in mid-October. Visitors who complete a mission at one of five Seoul tourist information centers or two Seoul My Soul Shop locations will receive campaign merchandise, including artist posters and photo cards.
The participating information centers are the Tourist Plaza center, the Myeong-dong center, the two Incheon Airport centers at Terminals 1 and 2, and the Gimpo Airport center. The Seoul My Soul Shops are located at Gangnam Station and Yeouido Han river Park.
The campaign will expand overseas from October, with the videos screening on outdoor billboards in major cities including New York's Times Square. They will also air on CNN in some 133 countries.
yoohong@heraldcorp.com
