'Indonesia's Park Ji-sung' Asnawi Appointed Honorary Ambassador for Korean Tourism

Midfielder Asnawi Mangkualam Bahar (right) of Ansan Greeners FC has been appointed as an honorary ambassador for Korean tourism.

[Asia Economy Reporter Choi Dong-hyun] The Korea Tourism Organization announced on the 13th that it has appointed Asnawi Mangkualam Bahar, a midfielder for K League club Ansan Greeners FC, as an honorary ambassador for Korean tourism.

Currently also a member of the Indonesian national team, Asnawi joined Ansan Greeners FC in February and has been performing excellently, earning a spot in the K League 2 Round 8 Best 11 and being called the "Indonesian Park Ji-sung." With the strong local interest in Asnawi following his entry into the K League, the Tourism Organization plans to enhance awareness of Korean tourism and the external influence of the K League in Indonesia through online and offline promotions as an honorary ambassador. Asnawi has been appointed as a power influencer for the Tourism Organization’s Southeast Asia and Middle East social media reporter group "Wow Korea," where he will promote the charm of Korean tourism to his approximately 240,000 Instagram followers.

Meanwhile, along with the ambassador appointment, a business agreement for promoting sports tourism targeting Indonesia was signed the previous day, attended by Park Jeong-ha, head of the International Tourism Division of the Tourism Organization, Yoon Hwa-seop, mayor of Ansan, and Kim Ho-seok, CEO of Ansan Greeners FC. They agreed to pursue various collaborative projects including promoting Korean sports tourism through the Organization’s overseas branches, expanding infrastructure to improve conditions for Southeast Asian Muslim tourists visiting Korea, and developing and attracting customers for Ansan-area tourism products linked to K League game attendance and stadium visits once COVID-19 recovery allows.

Kim Hyung-jun, head of the Southeast Asia and Middle East team at the Tourism Organization, stated, “We expect this agreement and ambassador appointment to contribute to increasing interest in Korean football in the Southeast Asian region and fostering a football Hallyu wave. We will continue to prepare so that Indonesian tourists visiting Korea can increase through the development of tourism products linked to K League game attendance once international tourism resumes.”