| James Kon |

BRUNEI Darussalam’s very own Ulu-Ulu Temburong and other local attractions are set to feature in the mythical Sageuk drama Asadal Chronicles, which will air this May in South Korea and globally through multiple cablecast channels, including Netflix and Total Variety Network (tvN).

Minister of Primary Resources and Tourism Dato Seri Setia Awang Haji Ali bin Haji Apong yesterday hosted a reception at The Empire Hotel & Country Club for the Korean production team from Studio Dragon Corporation and local supporting partners Royal Brunei Airlines, The Empire Hotel & Country Club, Sinar Holdings, Sinar Tour and Travel Sdn Bhd, Higher Hotel and Apartments, StarLodge and Stone Ville Hotel to mark the end of filming the period drama series.

Set in the fictional ancient city of Asadal and starring top Korean actors Song Joong-ki, Kim Ji-won, and Jang Dong-gun, the drama series is helmed by award-winning director Kim Won-seok and written by Kim Young-hyun and Park Sang-yeon.

The television network, tvN, is one of the leading entertainment network companies in South Korea, which has successfully produced highly-rated television dramas such as the critically acclaimed Goblin and Memories of Alhambra.

With the collaboration of Sinar Tour & Travel, the film and production crew spent time filming in various local sites such as Ulu-Ulu Temburong, Mukim Labi and Belait District.

The filming of Asadal Chronicles will serve as a highly effective tourism campaign for Brunei Darussalam worldwide. Together with the increased flight connectivity and route on Royal Brunei Airlines, the country is expected to see an exponential growth in the number of tourist arrivals following the predicted success of the drama series.

In 2018, Brunei Darussalam saw a total of 278,136 international tourist arrivals – a five per cent increase compared to the previous year.

The positive growth can be significantly attributed to the high impact of travel demand from the Far East market, such as China, Hong Kong, South Korea and Japan.