- The 2023 Visit KOREAN HERITAGE Campaign has begun with a newly renovated Visitors' Passport Tour.

- The Campaign runs ten courses for cultural heritage tours to promote cultural heritage tourism through cooperation with accommodation, transportation, and travel industries

SEOUL, South Korea, May 11, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The Korea Cultural Heritage Administration and the Korea Cultural Heritage Foundation have jointly announced the commencement of the 2023 Visit KOREAN HERITAGE Campaign from May 9. The Campaign was inaugurated with a ceremony for campaign supporters held on May 9 at the Hwangudan Altar and the Westin Josun Seoul Hotel in Seoul.

Since its inception in 2020, the Campaign has been committed to rediscovering the value of Korean cultural heritage, the foundation of the globally acclaimed Korean Wave, and promoting its splendor worldwide. With visiting courses featuring ten themes for 76 cultural hubs based on the World Heritage and Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, the Campaign aims to offer a wide range of offline and online events and content centering on the visiting courses. With commencing the first year of restoration to daily life after the COVID-19 pandemic, the Campaign intends to provide visitors with an opportunity to enjoy cultural heritage and achieve a new quantum leap towards cultural heritage tourism.

The Cultural Heritage Visitors' Passport Tour program has undergone a complete renovation this year, marking the beginning of cultural heritage tourism in Korea. As part of the program's makeover, the stamp book has been designed to resemble a real passport, allowing visitors to enjoy a unique travel experience by collecting stamps at each cultural heritage site they visit. Additionally, they can obtain stamps online and at regional hubs, such as KORAIL Travel Center, enhancing the program's accessibility and convenience.

Visitors seeking guidance can refer to the Visitor Passport Guide Center, which provides comprehensive program information. From May 9 to July 16, the newly revamped stamping event, known as the Campaign Visitors' Event, will be offered. To qualify for this event, visitors must collect stamps at ten destinations, including the two mandatory courses of the Gwandong Pungryu Era Route and the Baekje Antiquity Route. Participants who complete the challenge will have the opportunity to apply for the Korean cultural heritage promotion event planned to be held in Los Angeles, the U.S. in August.

This year's Campaign offers a diverse range of events to showcase the vibrant charms of Korean cultural heritage to international visitors. The Gwandong Pungryu Era Route, which was well-received in its launch last year, will run the Gwandong Pungryu Expedition in May and October, alongside the Sea Train X Gwandong Pungryu and Seongyojang Moonlight Visit programs. These tours aim to introduce the unique local history and culture of Gwandong to visitors. In 2022, the Sea Train X Gwandong Pungryu and Seongyojang Moonlight Visit programs were offered 15 times in total over three days with 374 visitors participating.

In Tokyo and L.A., a Royal Confectionery experience event will be held jointly with the Korean Culture and Information Service in May and August, respectively. The K-CON, an annual K-pop concert event, will run a promotion booth for firsthand experiences of Korean cultural heritage. In November, a cultural heritage promotion event will be held in London, the U.K., to commemorate the 140th year of Korea-UK diplomatic ties, together with the Korean Cultural Centre based in the U.K. The event will offer Sympathy for the Sound of Folk Music Route, a media art exhibition, and the KOREA ON STAGE performance, which will add more significance to the program.

Actress Kim Min-ha will serve as the campaign ambassador again this year to introduce the beauty of Korean cultural heritage. Last year, she participated in the campaign by promoting the Korean Temple Monasteries (Sansa) Route. This year, she and Kim Tae-yong, the director of recognized films Late Autumn and Family Ties, will promote the attractiveness of the Folk Music Route, including tourist attractions in Usuyeong, the southwestern coastal region, and the beauty of Korea's unique sound.

Continued collaborative efforts with private companies aim to facilitate cultural heritage tourism. The National Palace Museum of Korea, the Korea National University of Cultural Heritage, and COSMAX, one of the biggest cosmetics manufacturers in Korea, will collaborate on launching Princess Hwahyup as a Korean traditional cosmetics brand for K-Wave fans worldwide. The brand will be based on the analysis of cosmetics excavated from the tomb of Princess Hwahyup. The K-CON event, scheduled for Japan in May and the U.S. in August, will demonstrate traditional cosmetics, with the aim of promoting the Korean traditional culture of royal makeup and the charm of K-beauty to fans of Korean culture.

To learn more about the Visit KOREAN HERITAGE Campaign, which will captivate the eyes and ears of visitors from around the world again this year, please visit the official website (chf.or.kr/visit), its YouTube channel (https://www.youtube.com/koreanheritage), and its Instagram account (@visitkoreanheritage).