Combining existing tourism resources with fresh content reveals the potential to attract foreign tourists to Chungbuk province.

"Foreigners wearing traditional gat (Korean hats) and hanbok dance to the beat of gugak (traditional Korean music) EDM."

On October 3 and 4, an exotic scene unfolded in Chungju, where familiar traditional culture met unfamiliar, modern music. Some 200 foreign tourists from countries around the globe gathered to participate in the "Joseon Social Club Chungju Edition: Oh My Gat Party in Chungbuk."

The "Oh My Gat Party" is a Chungcheong Confucianism brand-type content project promoted by Chungcheongbuk-do Province and the Chungbuk Culture and Arts Foundation, as part of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism’s tourism promotion project for the Chungcheong Confucian cultural zone.

A total of 352 applicants from 32 countries—spanning the Americas, Europe, Asia, and Africa—applied for the program. Following a selection process, 100 participants per day (200 in total) were chosen, highlighting the charm of a small-scale, private tour.

The journey began with traditional cultural experiences. Participants chose one of three options—traditional archery, brewing traditional liquor, or experiencing the life of a Joseon-era scholar at the Chungju Hyanggyo Confucian Academy—allowing them to directly experience Joseon-era culture and pungryu (Korean flair and appreciation for the arts). For lunch, they visited local Chungju eateries, and in the afternoon, they freely enjoyed performances at the "Chungju Park Music Festival," which featured gugak.

The grand finale of the day was a party featuring Chungju's traditional liquor, Cheongmyeongju, accompanied by music. Participants changed into hanbok at the Jungangtap Costume Room, gathered in a private space, and enjoyed music that combined gugak with DJing. On-site, gugak EDM presented traditional music in an accessible and engaging way, drawing enthusiastic responses from the participants.

The defining characteristic of this event lay in incorporating both existing local tourism resources and novel content into a single tourism product. By creating a travel itinerary that progressed from traditional experiences, local cuisine, and regional festivals to a party reinterpreting traditional culture in a modern style, the program enabled foreign tourists to experience various parts of Chungju and spend locally.

Furthermore, the Foundation collaborated with IsPMP to handle everything from promotion to sales through the foreign community platform "Korea Experience." Promotional content created for the event garnered approximately 140,000 views and over 8,000 likes, successfully driving foreign tourists to visit the region.

Kim Kyung-shik, CEO of the Chungbuk Culture and Arts Foundation, stated, "When we specialized our region's excellent tourism resources into content tailored to foreign demand, it was met with a positive response. We will continue to explore ways to enhance accessibility for foreign tourists, presenting a new model for regional tourism filled with fun."

[ⓒ Global Economic Times. 무단전재-재배포 금지]