Haenam LPGA Tournament Opens... County Launches Global Promotion Campaign

Debuting on the Global Stage: Promoting Local Specialties and Tourist Attractions
Half-Price Discounts with Travel Booklet from October 15 to 20

Haenam County in South Jeolla Province has launched a large-scale promotional campaign to publicize Haenam both domestically and internationally, taking advantage of hosting the world-renowned "2025 LPGA BMW Ladies Championship" in Haenam.

According to the county on October 16, the LPGA tournament will be held from today through October 19 at Pine Beach Golf Links in the Oceano Tourism Complex in Hwawon-myeon. This is the only regular LPGA (Ladies Professional Golf Association) tour event in Korea and the first ever to be held in the Honam region. The tournament will be broadcast live to approximately 570 million households in about 170 countries worldwide. The county expects between 50,000 and 60,000 spectators to visit Haenam during the tournament period.

Haenam County has launched a large-scale promotional campaign to publicize Haenam both domestically and internationally at the 2025 LPGA BMW Ladies Championship. Photo by Lee Jungkyung

The county is leveraging this opportunity by running a variety of promotional programs to raise awareness of Haenam. Starting on October 14, prior to the tournament's opening, the county set up the Haenam Promotion Center in the parking lot of the Pine Beach Clubhouse near the venue and began promoting the Haenam brand to spectators and tourists.

The Promotion Center is themed as the "Haenam Miso Art Museum." Exhibits parodying world masterpieces such as Van Gogh's "Starry Night" and Leonardo da Vinci's "Mona Lisa" combine Haenam's local specialties-cabbage, seaweed, sweet potatoes, abalone-and major tourist attractions, making the displays popular photo spots among visitors.

An event to encourage sign-ups for "Haenam Miso," Haenam County's online shopping mall, is also taking place for spectators. Limited edition commemorative gifts are given to new members, and a special limited edition gift set commemorating the LPGA tournament is being showcased.

The gift set features five items, including Haenam's signature local specialties and regional crafts: Haenam celadon espresso cups, fig pack cleansers, centella sunscreen, sweet potato chips, and seaweed snacks. Notably, the set is packaged as a "pop-up art" box that vividly depicts Haenam's tourist attractions and specialties, drawing attention from visitors.

Haenam Promotion Center parodied world masterpieces such as Van Gogh's "Starry Night" and Leonardo da Vinci's "Mona Lisa" to exhibit local specialties including Haenam cabbage, seaweed, sweet potatoes, and abalone. Photo by Lee Jungkyung

Goods incorporating K-culture content are also being introduced. These include keyrings featuring traditional Korean folk painting tigers and golfer characters dressed in hanbok, as well as a set of five magnets depicting the new Haenam County Office and local specialties.

Additionally, to boost tourism, the county has prepared a special discount event in celebration of the LPGA tournament. From October 15 to 20, tourists carrying the "Now That You're in Haenam, Where Should You Go?" travel booklet can receive up to a 50% discount at seven paid tourist attractions in the county.

The attractions eligible for discounts are: Duryunsan Cable Car, Duryunsan Eco Healing Park, Forest Arboretum, Ttangkkeut Marine Natural History Museum, Ttangkkeut Monorail, Sani Garden, and Myeongnyang Marine Cable Car. The travel booklet is available at the LPGA promotional booth, as well as at local accommodations and tourist sites.

County Governor Myeong Hyun-gwan is also personally promoting Haenam during the tournament. On October 14, the "Haenam Cabbage Cooking Experience" event was held at Haenam 126 Hotel, attended by Governor Myeong, County Council Chair Lee Seong-ok, LPGA participants Ji Eunhee, Lee Jeongeun6, and Natalia Guseva (Russia). Participants experienced the excellence of Haenam's agricultural products firsthand by making kimchi and kimchi gimbap using Haenam-grown cabbage.

Governor Myeong stated, "This LPGA tournament is a golden opportunity to raise the brand value of Haenam on the global stage. I hope that the athletes and spectators visiting Haenam will experience its beautiful nature and warm hospitality, creating unforgettable autumn memories."