Have plans to sign up for a tour of Korea? It's going to be a Psy of a show

Let me be frank - if you haven't heard of Psy's "Gangnam Style" or "Gentleman", surely you've been living under a rock. 

Based on the scope of his explosive popularity, it only makes sense that theKorea Tourism Organization (KTO) launched an interactive campaign with Psy spearheading its efforts. 

 

The KTO - through a series of TV commercials and interactive online activities - hopes to whet your appetite for Korean tourism. And with Psy's unmistakably round face and a pair of sunglasses that always seem to be burdensomely small, who wouldn't want in on the experience? 

To get a feel for some of the must-eats and must-see's this beautiful country has to offer, think samgyeopsal, banchan, bulgeum, and dongdaemun - all of which where featured through the KTO TV commercials. 

Additionally, the KTO launched 'Wiki Korea' through its portal site 'BUZZ KOREA.' The website features some of the most representative Korean icons - think Gangnam, Bungeoppang, Temple Stay, Cheongdam-dong, Tteokbokki, etc. 

But it doesn't stop there. Users can submit their own opinions and questions regarding each item through different formats - including video, text, or photo! As such, the KTO selects eight users who upload the best content on thewebsite and rewards them by taking them on a 7 day 6 night tour of Korea. 

Oh, and these eight winners will be accompanied by popular Korean celebrities on their week long trip. Casual, right? Happens every day. 

Other rewards include a Samsung SMART Camera or a gift set for those who aren't able to make it to the top eight. 

Charm Lee, CEO of KTO, mentioned cashing in on Korean icons to encourage tourism. 

"This year, we will highlight Korea's spirit (Ki), entertainment (Heung), and heart (Jeong), which are key elements of Korean culture. I'm sure that they can be loved worldwide. KTO's new ambassador Psy is a global super star. His songs 'Gangnam Style' and 'Gentleman' showed great global appeal, having over 2 hundred million views worldwide. We believe we can leverage Psy's global popularity to effectively promote tourism in Korea." 

Now I'm going to go out on a whim and say that the people at KTO might just know what they're doing. Let's look back over how they advertised over the past couple years. In 2010, KTO selected Yong Jun Bae, a forerunner of the Hallyu wave, to appeal to Japanese tourists. The next two years, KTO chose 2PM and Miss A due to an explosive K-pop sweep.

Last year, the 'Touch Korea' campaign starred by actress Se-Young Park was nominated as one of the top 10 consumer-favorite advertisements by Singapore's mass media group 'MediaCorp.' Moreover, according to the '2012 Korea Tourism Advertising Effectiveness Survey,' the rate of positive responses reached an impressive 86%. 

"We will differentiate our strategy by connecting TV commercials and online promotions together in order to effectively engage users to learn about and visit Korea," Charm Lee said.