The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism (MCST) is actively pushing ahead with building advanced tourism information [IT assisted tourism] cities across the country, a top official of the ministry said.
In an interview with Korea IT Times, Yu In-chon, minister of MCST, said, "The ministry is propelling a project to construct advanced tourism information cities in the country to promote users' convenience."
Noting that advanced countries are paying keen attention to the advent of the ubiquitous era, a new paradigm of information technology, Minister Yu said, "To actively cope with the ubiquitous information era, the government is concentrating its efforts on building ubiquitous information systems."
Commenting that various services based on mobile technology are active these days in keeping with the advent of the ubiquitous era, he said, "The nation's tourism industry, however, is facing many difficulties in creating services using the ubiquitous technology owing to insufficient accumulation and use of information technology. Accordingly, the ministry is making all-out efforts to expand digital contents services related to tourism resources.
"To build advanced tourism information systems suitable for ubiquitous environment and strengthen the nation's status as an IT powerhouse, we are constructing advanced tourism information cities in the country," he said.
The ministry is planning to make North Chungcheong Province and Yeongdeok in North Gyeongsang Province advanced tourism information cities this year. It already carried out the project to build advanced tourism information cities in 10 places, including Andong and Sockcho in 2005, Tongyeong and Boryeong in 2006, Busan and Gongju in 2007, Incheon and Daegu in 2008 and South jeolla Province and Gwangju in 2009.
"We also introduced the 'unmanned tourism guide system" using cultural resources and IT infrastructure to Gyeongbok Palace on June 1, 2010. Through the system, we plan to attract more foreign tourists and enhance convenience for domestic and foreign tourists," he said.
Related to this, Minister Yu is also making a strong push for the "everywhere I-walk project" in major tourist spots across the country, including Gyeongju, once the capital of the Silla Dynasty.
"We will continuously push for a project that combines state-of-the-art IT technology and tourism resources to attract more foreign tourists to the country," said Yu.
Identity of Tourism Korea
Asked about the identity of differentiated "tourism Korea," Minister Yu said, "Advanced tourist countries are equipped with core tourism resources and brand images that could lure foreign tourists. For instance, Australia possesses the Opera House as its representative tourism image; Paris, the Eiffel Tower; China, the Great Wall of China; the U.S., the Statue of Liberty; and Britain, the guards."
Saying that Korea also has core attraction and tourism image that can attract foreign tourists, Yu said, "It is the complex image, which harmonizes traditional factors and modern factors. For an example, temple stay or Gyeongbok Palace works as Korea's indigenous spiritual culture or historical cultural resource to tourists from the U.S. and Europe. In the meantime, tourists from Asia, including China and Japan, regard Nanta, a popular South Korean musical, B-Boy, Hallyu and shopping as Korea's modern, attractive and sophisticated image."
He said that Korea in fact is insufficient in heralding a powerful tourism brand and image to foreign countries, even though the government is going all-out to build the brand image of tourism Korea.
"Accordingly, we will make policy efforts to build powerful brand of tourism Korea by making the best use of such representative contents as Korea's indigenous spiritual culture, dynamics, modern sophistication, global-level tourism resources," said Yu.
Policy to Develop 3D Contents
On the development of contents that will lead the 3D revolution, Minister Yu said, "The paradigm shift from 2D to 3D is expected to be made at a rapid pace, influenced by box-office successes of such 3D movies as 'AVATAR' and 'Alice in Wonderland' and the South African World Cup relay of ESPN through 3D TV."
Commenting that most 3D content developed by Korea is for entertainment shown at amusement parks or museums, he said, "As a result, Korea still falls 3-5 years behind the U.S. in terms of content manufacturing technology. However, the prospect is bright as a variety of performances and documentaries using 3D content are being developed nowadays. For instance, directors Yoon Jae-kyun and Kwack Gyeong-taek produced 3D movies, titled, 'The 7th Mine Lot' and 'We Are Beautiful,' respectively."
The minister said that MCST, along with the Ministry of Knowledge Economy and the Korea Communications Commission, mapped out a strategy for development of the 3D industry in April this year to foster the 3D content industry as the nation's new growth engine, which will lead the global 3D industry.
As a follow-up step, the MCST also announced a plan to foster the 3D content industry in May 2010, which suggested a vision and a goal to lead the global market. Under the ambitious plan, Korea projects to produce 20 percent of all video content through 3D technology by 2015.
"To this end, we will build manufacturing infrastructure, foster competitive manpower, activate manufacture of 3D content, strengthen technology development and accelerate advancement into global markets," said Yu.
The minister also said, "Through this project, we expect the nation's 3D content industry to create 2.5 trillion won worth of new market growth by 2015 and offer 15,000 jobs to young people who failed to land a job because of serious youth unemployment problem."
Characteristics of Online Games
On the characteristics of online game, which is riding on the Korean wave of Hallyu and its development prospects, Minister Yu said, "Online games are one of Korea's representative content items, which is widely recognized as having high competitiveness in the global market. Korea's exports of online games surpassed the USD 1 billion mark in 2008, and soared to USD 1.5 billion in 2009. Such successful achievement of Korea's online games was possible through a combination of creative stories, excellent content technology, strategic business models and persistent R&D investment."
Meanwhile, as the online game market is becoming bigger and bigger globally, competition among major countries in the global market is becoming fiercer than ever before, he said.
"Under these circumstances, Korea's online game industry needs to come out with more aggressive and strategic countermeasures, including finding out new game markets," said the minister.
He said that smart phones and tablet PCs recently created new game markets and that the 3D game sector grows at a rapid pace thanks to development of advanced 3D technology.
"In addition, I think such functional games as those for education, training and treatment have a high possibility of being developed into new growth engines for the nation's game industry," said Yu.
Yu became the longest-serving minister on Feb. 14. The actor-turned-minister Yu broke the longest serving record (one year, 11 months and 14 days) set by former Minister Lee O-young who held the post from Jan. 3, 1990 to Dec. 19, 1991.
Since his inauguration on Feb. 29 in 2008, Yu has been appreciated as a "field-oriented" minister as he has been active in visiting various regions to encourage artists and promote cultural policies.
The following is main content of the interview with Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Yu In-chon.
Q: Do you have any strategy to globalize Korean culture in preparation for the 2010 Korea G20 Summit
A: Korea will host the 2010 G20 Summit in November this year, in which heads of states, finance ministers, central bank governors and other dignitaries of many foreign countries are to participate. We are now collecting good ideas to herald Korean culture and tradition to all over the world during the G20 summit period.
During the global event period, we plan to invite participants in the G20 meeting, including journalists and business leaders, to Korea's representative traditional programs to be played at major theaters.
Besides, we plan to invite foreign guests to a "temple stay" program and other events to visit ancient palaces and experience Korea's unique tradition and culture. Even after the G20 Summit, we will continue implementing such cultural programs to enhance foreign visitors' understanding of Korean culture.
Q: Would you introduce major tourism products and international events for the 2010-2012 Visit Korea Years
A: First of all, we will hold various festivals this year to provide foreign tourists with many chances to see and enjoy Korea's traditional festivals, including the Hallyu Festival to be held in Gyeongju on Sept. 11-14, Busan Fireworks Festival in Busan on Oct. 21-23, the World Foods Tourism Festival in Jeonju on Oct. 21-27.
In addition, the ministry will actively support provincial governments' overseas marketing activities to attract foreign tourists to such big events as the 2010 Great Baekje World Festival to be held in Gongju and Buyeo in South Chungcheong Province on Sept. 18-Oct. 17 and 2010 Formula 1 Korean Grand Prix to be held in Yeongam in South Jeolla Province.
To activate foreigners' shopping tours to Korea, the nation will hold the Seoul Grand Sale during the July 21-Sept. 12 period and the Korea Grand Sale in winter season.
At the same time, we selected 24 tourist spots in the country, which have interesting stories related to Korea's unique culture and tradition. We are actively supporting travel agencies to help them develop the 24 places as the nation's key tourism products in close cooperation with provincial governments.
We will make the best use of such big international events as G20 Summit and Formula 1 Korean Grand Prix to herald Korea's traditional culture history and tourism information to foreign tourists.
Q: Do you have any other plan to attract more foreign tourists to Korea
A: To achieve the 2010 target of attracting 8.5 million foreign tourists, we are now staging a nationwide campaign to treat foreign tourists with a cordial and hospitable attitude at all places, including airport immigration office, shopping centers, hotels and restaurants.
The ministry is also dispatching a special team to foreign countries to hold explanatory meetings to introduce Korea's tourism attractions, various tourist goods and many incentives related to accommodation and transportation to foreigners.
