문대통령, "세계 유일의 분단국가, 평화관광으로 도약 가능"
President Moon has called for efforts to revamp the country's tourism industry.
He says South Korea has great potential in the sector, due to the uniqueness of the Korean Peninsula and Korean culture.
Park Hee-jun has more. President Moon Jae-in says that South Korea can use its recent past to transform itself into its own unique tourist destination.
The president was speaking at an annual tourism conference in Incheon on Tuesday.
He says tours to the demilitarized zone already attract over three million visitors a year,... and that demand for such tours will only grow as peace settles on the Korean Peninsula.
And President Moon said South Korea is also attractive in other ways.
One, being Korean culture, including K-pop and K-drama.
From Gangnam, the theme of Psy's hit title,... to Busan and Daegu, the birthplaces of BTS members,... President Moon says Korea is a must-visit destination for fans of the Korean wave.
And that has led to over ten percent of the total foreign tourists visiting the country to experience the Hallyu culture.
President Moon also emphasized that the country can improve its trade surplus only when it leads the global tourism industry.
He said South Korea must upgrade its tourism services by aligning them with mobile, information and communications technology,... and hurry to create smart infrastructure that allows visitors to handle transportation, reservations, and payments with only their smartphones.
The president also promised to enhance the competence of local cities.
In line with such efforts, the culture ministry announced the same day that it will improve regional tour programs with the target of attracting 23 million foreign visitors by 2022.
It also plans to increase jobs in the field to 960-thousand, from the current 580-thousand.
Park Hee-jun, Arirang News.
