K-tourism video ads with Lee Jung-jae exceed 510 mn views

The four-video Challenge Korea series promoting tourism in South Korea with "Squid Game" actor Lee Jung-jae has surpassed half a billion views in just 57 days after its release.

The Korea Tourism Organization (KTO) on Wednesday said the series it planned with the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism surpassed 510 million views on Tuesday since its June 27 release on YouTube.

The figure easily blew away the previous marks of 290 million views by the six-video first season of "Feel the Rhythm of Korea," and 310 million by the 10-episode second season.

Challenge Korea features actor Lee, a public relations ambassador for Visit Korea Year 2023-24 and honorary ambassador for tourism in the country.

The four episodes -- "Dance, Dance, Dance," "Battle of K-Food," "Photo Spot" and "Hello Future" -- all promote domestic tourism through the tagline "Are you up for the Challenge? Feel the dynamic charms of Korea!"

Shown are aspects of Korean culture that grab viewer attention and hot tourist spots across the country. Each of the four videos has exceeded 100 million views, attesting to their high popularity.

In addition to YouTube, the videos have been aired on other social media platforms such as Facebook and TikTok to target millennials and Generation Z in 22 countries. Since last month, the clips have also appeared on major digital signboards in 10 countries.

From October 15, the videos will be broadcast for six weeks as 3D ads at Times Square in New York, the Shinjuku district of Tokyo, Japan, and Kuala Lumpur City Centre in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. They will also appear as outdoor ads in Jakarta, Indonesia, the venue of the ASEAN Summit, and Paris, home of the Bureau of International Expositions aka BIE, which will designate the host city of the 2030 World Expo in November.

Write to Young-Chan Song at 0full@hankyung.com