Azlan Othman in Seoul, South Korea

South Korean Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Park Yang-woo urged more Koreans to visit Brunei Darussalam.

“More Koreans should visit Brunei Darussalam, Laos and Myanmar,” he told a group of ASEAN journalists in Seoul ahead of the two-day meeting of the Special ASEAN Ministers Responsible for Culture and Arts (AMCA) and the Republic of Korea (RoK) that ended on Thursday, while citing the low number of tourists visiting these three countries.

The minister said statistics have shown that only 16,000 Koreans visited the Sultanate last year.

“Korean tourists like to see, feel, taste and think. Marketing and public relations are also crucial apart from good tourist attractions. Korean tourists are sensitive in terms of safety and there is a need to have safety measures at tourist attractions,” he added.

Park also stressed that communication was important while Korean Language service and pamphlets in Korean were equally important.

Asked about the meeting between the AMCA and the RoK held in Gwangju City in South Korea on Thursday, he said this year marks the 30th anniversary of the establishment of relations between Korea and ASEAN.

“We need to continue our cooperation for a more helpful future for the next 30 years, especially in the Internet era, where we need to get closer to each other geographically. ASEAN is meaningful not only in trade but also in technology, arts and human exchange and shares peace and prosperity for the future,” Park added.

The AMCA and RoK meeting comes a month before the RoK-ASEAN leaders’ summit slated for November 25-26 in the southeastern port city of Busan to mark the 30th anniversary of establishing dialogue partnership between the two sides.

On the sidelines of the ministerial meeting, a Korea-ASEAN forum on culture and tourism and a traditional music performance were held where Brunei showcased its gulingtangan musical instrument, composers and dancers. The ASEAN-Korea cultural exchanges are part of the tasks of the New Southern Policy, the minister said.

The New Southern Policy is President Moon Jae-in’s initiative proclaimed in 2017 to enhance relations with ASEAN, which comprises Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.

An ASEAN cultural week with performances and an expo is held in Gwangju this month to in-crease exchanges.

Asked on the Korean pop culture, better known as K-Pop which is also a major attraction in Southeast Asia including Brunei Darussalam, he said the Korean wave is very popular.

“Korea not only has BTS,” Park said referring to the South Korean Boy Band group. He said Korea also has other talented musicians who are on par with BTS.

“We also have Korean Drama (K-Drama), K-Film, K-Games, K-Fashion and many others. ASEAN nations can also introduce its culture to Korea. About 10 per cent of tourists who visit Korea are for K-Pop,” he said.

Asked on tourism growth in ASEAN, Park said the region is the third largest economic block in the world and a very important tourist market for Korea. “Last year, tourists to Korea totalled 15.35 million out of which 2.46 million were from ASEAN countries. It is expected that 17.5 million tourists will visit Korea next year. Outbound tourists totalled 13 million,” he said.

“A National Welcome Week has also been introduced for specific countries like welcoming Vietnamese tourists last month and six other ASEAN nations next month. We will open a group electronic visa programme for tourists to facilitate their visit to Korea,” Park said.

On promoting Halal tourism in Korea, Park said one million tourists from Brunei, Indonesia and Malaysia have visited Korea.

“What is most necessary are prayer rooms and Halal restaurants. The government has designated 70 Muslim friendly restaurants for the convenience of Muslims. There was also a Halal Restaurant Week campaign last year. The Korean Government has also established Korean institutions overseas for marketing,” he added.