(ANN/THE KOREA HERALD) – The Korea Tourism Organisation (KTO) has stirred some discussion with a promotional product featuring NewJeans, its honorary ambassadors, and Japanese pop artist Takashi Murakami.
This item, part of a tourism event launched on July 11, has raised eyebrows for not being more closely tied to Korean cultural representation.
The promotion is part of the KTO’s “Real Korean Daily Travel” project, which invites participants to watch a promotional video and share their thoughts on day trips in Korea.
Running until September 10, the campaign offers prizes, including a USD50 Amazon e-gift card for 40 winners and a NewJeans bag for 20 winners.
The focus of the debate is the NewJeans merchandise, created in collaboration with Murakami for the K-pop group’s Japanese debut album released last month.
Some feel that the KTO, dedicated to promoting Korean culture, should have chosen products more reflective of Korea. In light of the feedback, the KTO has decided to suspend the event.
“The comment event to promote Korea Tourism Organisation’s new global video advertisements is temporarily closed. We will be returning shortly with an upgraded event to better promote the charms of Korea tourism,” KTO announced on its official website on Wednesday.
The group’s music label Ador, a subsidiary of Hybe, said the KTO had not consulted with the K-pop agency beforehand about giving away NewJeans merchandise in the promotional event and it had not received any detailed plans.
Critics say as a representative body promoting Korea, the KTO should not have used a promotional product designed by a Japanese artist.
“The decision to use NewJeans’ Japanese album merchandise, created in collaboration with Takashi Murakami, as a promotional item was misguided,” said Lee Dong-yeon, a committee member of the Korean Commission for UNESCO and a professor at the Korea National University of Arts, Wednesday.
“While Murakami is a globally renowned pop artist, providing the merchandise from the NewJeans-Murakami collaboration directly as event items seems shortsighted,” Lee added. “This issue required in-depth discussions considering the sentiment.”
Professor Lee Jong-im of Seoul National University of Science & Technology echoed these sentiments, saying the KTO should have reviewed the promotional product more carefully.
“If this were a promotional event solely organised by Ador, it would not have been a problem. However, the KTO is a government body and should have been more cautious with what it is giving away,” Lee of Seoul National University of Science & Technology said.
“NewJeans has previously collaborated with hanbok designer Lee Kyu-ok, whose creations have garnered attention. These items could have been more suitable promotional products,” she added.
