[One Day 10,000 Steps, One Day 1,000 Characters] Walking in the Footsteps of BTS and Woo Young-woo... Becoming a Hallyu Travel Product

Poster of BTS's variety show In the Soop featuring Seohuri Forest.

Seohuri Forest, located in Seojong-myeon, Yangpyeong-gun, on the northern foothills of Cheonggyesan Mountain in Gyeonggi Province, opened in 2014. It is a 100,000-pyeong walking trail within a 300,000-pyeong private forest where visitors can experience nature as it is. The forest is surrounded by various trees such as birch, metasequoia, ginkgo, maple, and pine, making it perfect for forest bathing. It is also famous as a shooting location for BTS's album jackets.

While exploring the forest, visitors can enjoy finding traces of BTS and taking photos mimicking their poses. There are two courses: a 1-hour course and a 30-minute course. ‘Lake192’ located in Chuncheon is known as the ‘House Going to Australia.’ It embraces Chuncheon Lake in its yard and has received the ‘Korea Architecture Award,’ making it frequently featured in commercials and media. Guests can exclusively use a detached villa, a floating house on the lake, an outdoor glamping site, a wide lake, and a lawn garden. It is also known as the filming location for BTS’s variety show ‘In the Soop.’

2022 BTS Australia Fan Club Korea Tour BTS agency HYBE INSIGHT building visit photo. [Photo by Korea Tourism Organization]

Recently, the Korea Tourism Organization announced a total of 49 Hallyu representative course travel products developed by 19 travel agencies after reviewing the travel products submitted for the ‘Selection of Hallyu Representative Course Specialized Travel Agencies’ contest. These travel products focus on the latest tourist destinations reflected in the ‘51 Hallyu Representative Courses’ discovered by the organization last year, including filming locations of globally popular K-dramas and movies, and visits to K-pop artists, allowing global Hallyu fans to fully enjoy the appeal of visiting Korea. The ‘Following BTS’s Footsteps for 5 Days’ includes not only Seohuri Forest and Lake192 but also the HYBE headquarters, the largest open set in Korea Yongin Dae Jang Geum Park, Wibong Fortress in Wanju, Jeonbuk, and Awon Traditional House.

In August 2022, citizens lined up at a restaurant in Haenggung-dong, Suwon, the filming location of "Extraordinary Attorney Woo." [Source=Yonhap News]

The ‘Korea Class with K-Dramas’ includes Suwon Hwaseong Fortress, Haengnidan-gil, Suwon Kazaguruma, Jidong Mural Village, Suwon Paldalmun Market, and Jeonju Jeil High School. The filming location of the gimbap restaurant run by Woo Young-woo’s father in the popular drama ‘Extraordinary Attorney Woo’ (Kazaguruma) is actually a Japanese cuisine restaurant. Haengnidan-gil (Haenggung-dong + Dan-gil), where the gimbap restaurant is located, is a commercial area activated around the UNESCO World Heritage Suwon Hwaseong Fortress.

Additionally, △‘Tasting K-Wellness from the Heart of Hallyu’ (Cafe Rim, Paradise City Wonderbox, My Land, Jeonju Jeil High School, Lahan Hotel Jeonju, etc.) △‘The Biggest Playground, Enjoying K-Content in Korea’ (Bukchon Hanok Village, Bangsan Market, Higher Ground, Andong Hahoe Village, Seonghee Girls’ High School, etc.) △‘K-POP Pilgrimage Following Hallyu’ (Chuncheon Lake192, Happy Grass Ranch, Yangjimall Charcoal Grill, Liberty, Hajodae Beach, etc.) were selected. These products will be promoted through the organization’s 32 overseas branches and foreign language tourism websites, with plans to attract a total of 10,000 foreign tourists.