Lee Boo-jin, president of Hotel Shilla and chair of the Visit Korea Year Committee, pledged to support the government's tourism industry development, saying "Korea has become a country where foreigners want to live."
Lee made the remarks at an expanded National Tourism Strategy Meeting chaired by President Lee Jae-myung at the presidential office on Tuesday.
"Our committee will also cooperate with the government to find and promote content tailored to different nationalities and needs, so that foreign visitors can experience our unique culture while visiting various regions," she said.
Lee has led the Visit Korea Year Committee, a public-private partnership organization under the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, since 2023.
"Last year, a record-breaking nearly 20 million tourists visited, and this achievement is thanks to the government's attention and support," Lee said. "Korea has now become more than just a country foreigners want to visit—it has become a wonderful country where they want to live like Koreans."
Lee outlined the committee's plans to improve foreigners' experience during their stay in Korea.
"I've met many foreigners who were moved by Koreans' heartfelt kindness," she said, while noting "there still seems to be much room for improvement when I look around tourism sites."
She added: "The committee will continue to implement 'kindness campaigns' and work toward improvements."
Lee also announced plans to address inconveniences in infrastructure areas such as transportation and payment systems.
"True kindness, as I see it, means providing comfort by proactively identifying what people need and what inconveniences them, in addition to a bright smile," Lee said. "We will work with companies and relevant government agencies to eliminate inconveniences in payment, transportation, and tourism information, no matter which region tourists visit."
