This Year's National Representative K-Goods... '2024 Daehanminguk Tourism Contest'

Selection of Korea's Representative Tourist Souvenirs by the 31st
25 Items in Total, Total Prize Money of 42.7 Million Won

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Korea Tourism Organization announced on the 8th that they will hold the ‘2024 Korea Tourism Contest Souvenir Category’ until the 31st.

Rice Flower Fresh Makgeolli Kit, the grand prize (Presidential Award) winner of last year's tourism contest souvenirs.
[Photo by Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism]

The contest targets souvenirs based on attractive content such as the history, culture, and nature of Korea and its regions. This year, applications are accepted in two categories: ‘General’ and ‘Local Specialization.’

In the General category, souvenirs that allow people to remember and keep their Korean experiences will be selected, while in the Local Specialization category, souvenirs that highlight regional characteristics will be chosen. In particular, as part of private sector collaboration, a special award sponsored by Hyundai Department Store has been newly established, offering benefits such as entry into Hyundai Department Store for the winning works.

The application period is from the 8th to the 31st, and a total of 25 works will be selected through evaluations by experts in each category and general domestic and foreign judges.

The organization plans to purchase the winning works with a total amount of 42.7 million KRW, including ▲Grand Prize (Presidential Award) 10 million KRW ▲Gold Prize (Prime Minister Award) 4 million KRW each ▲Silver Prize (Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Award) 2.5 million KRW each ▲Bronze Prize (President of Korea Tourism Organization Award) 1.5 million KRW each, and use them for domestic and international promotion.

Additionally, they plan to actively support one-on-one expert customized consulting, domestic and international promotion, online and offline distribution channel support, and collaboration opportunities with private companies.

Previously, Park Sohyun, CEO of Cosmoji, who won the Presidential Award in 2023 with the Rice Flower Fresh Makgeolli Kit, said, “There were times when customers hesitated to purchase because it was not a product from a large corporation, but through the tourism souvenir contest, we gained trust from consumers and distributors, which greatly helped with promotion and sales.”

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Korea Tourism Organization announced on the 8th that the "2024 Korea Tourism Contest Souvenir Category" will be held until the 31st.
[Photo by Korea Tourism Organization]

Detailed information about the contest can be found on the organization’s website.

Kim Dongil, Head of the Tourism Industry Division at the Korea Tourism Organization, said, “Last year’s winning works were placed in souvenir stores such as The Hyundai and Lotte Mart, and we promoted over 100 private sector collaborations. This year, we will strengthen cooperation with private companies and related organizations to expand sales channels for the winning works and strive to enhance the competitiveness of Korea’s representative tourism souvenirs through practical support.”

Meanwhile, the organization plans to hold the ‘2024 Korea Tourism Souvenir Expo’ over two days starting November 22 at Seoul DDP. Marking its third edition this year, the expo will also feature the contest award ceremony as well as exhibitions and sales of famous regional tourism souvenirs.