"Can You Handle It?"... Lee Jung-jae Appears on Beijing Billboard

Advertising Broadcast in Downtown After Over 7 Years
Introducing Korean Dance, Night Views, Food, and Photo Spots

As China has allowed group tours to South Korea for the first time in over six years, a large electronic billboard advertising "Korean Tourism" is currently being displayed in downtown Beijing, the capital of China.

According to the Korea Tourism Organization on the 27th, since the 11th of this month, a 'Challenge Korea' billboard advertisement featuring actor Lee Jung-jae has been broadcast on high-rise buildings in the central business district of Chaoyang District, Beijing.

According to the Korea Tourism Organization on the 27th, since the 11th of this month, a digital billboard advertisement for "Challenge Korea" featuring actor Lee Jung-jae has been displayed on high-rise buildings in the Central Business District of Chaoyang District, Beijing.
[Photo by Yonhap News]

This location is in the middle of a six-lane elevated highway, a notorious traffic congestion area, making it one of the most attention-grabbing spots for advertisements even within Beijing. The large electronic billboard advertisement has also been installed at the Grand Pacific Department Store in the Beijing City Hall district, which has a high flow of young people.

This is the first time in over seven years since 2016 that Korean tourism advertisements have been broadcast in China. It is also the first time for a large outdoor advertisement in the center of Beijing.

South Korean Government Aims to Attract 2 Million Chinese Tourists This Year

The number of Chinese tourists visiting South Korea peaked in 2016, but group tours to South Korea were virtually banned starting around March 2017 amid the 'THAAD (Terminal High Altitude Area Defense) retaliation,' which caused a sharp drop.

Since early 2020, when COVID-19 spread, China has completely banned overseas group tours. The ban on 'Korean tourism,' which lasted for six years and five months, was only lifted last month.

In response, the South Korean government plans to attract 1.5 million Chinese tourists in the second half of this year to achieve an annual target of 2 million visitors.

There are four advertisements displayed on the electronic billboard: K-Dance (dance), K-Future (future), K-Food (local and street food), and K-Photo Spot (photo attractions). Each runs for about 1 minute 30 seconds to 2 minutes.
[Photo by Korea Tourism Organization]

The advertisements on the billboard consist of four parts: K-Dance, K-Future, K-Food (regional and street food), and K-Photo Spots. Each segment runs for about 1 minute 30 seconds to 2 minutes.

In all four advertisements, Lee Jung-jae introduces Korean tourism to foreign travelers and ends with the message "Can you handle it?" inviting them to visit Korea.

A representative from the Korea Tourism Organization said, "After the pandemic, to target Chinese tourists (Youke), we have broadcast the first overseas Korean tourism advertisement featuring a Korean celebrity model in the heart of Beijing. We will strengthen promotional activities to achieve our goal of attracting tourists."