[Courtesy of drama homepage]
South Korea on Thursday proposed the idea of transforming the filming sites of its mega-hit drama "Descendants of the Sun" into major state-sponsored tourist attractions as it creates a sensation beyond Asia.
The idea was presented at a meeting of policymakers, chaired by Culture Minister Kim Jong-deok who said the drama could play a role in reinvigorating South Korea's economy.
The ministry promised to work with other state bodies in developing new tourist attractions related to the drama as it did for other popular dramas which have brought foreign tourists into South Korea.
Nami Island in the eastern city of Chuncheon has been attracting nearly one million tourists annually since "Winter Sonata," a popular drama, was filmed there. The 2013-2014 drama "My Love from the Star" brings some two million tourists a year into South Korea.
Descendants of the Sun" is a 16-episode long drama telling a love story between an army captain and a female doctor, who are on a mission together in a fictional war-torn country called Uruk to save lives. Unlike other Korean dramas, it was pre-produced.
It has been enjoying explosive popularity, creating a sensation across Asia since it premiered on February 24 simultaneously in South Korea and China.
Only in China, the drama starring actor Song Joong-ki and actress Song Hye-kyo has scored more than 1.5 billion views on iQiyi, a Chinese video web platform and 7.5 billion searches on Weibo, the Chinese equivalent of Twitter.
The drama was not over, but South Korean and Chinese tourists are already rushing to the filming spots to reenact the romance between the Song couple.
There has been some market speculation that the drama will generate more than three trillion won (2.7 billion US dollars) worth of visible and invisible economic effects.
The drama has been exported to 32 countries including China, Japan, England, France, Germany, Russia, Italy and Saudi Arabia. China and Japan have bought broadcasting rights to the drama series for $250,000 and $100,000 per episode.
Aju News Lim Chang-won = cwlim34@ajunews.com
Copyright ⓒ Aju Press All rights reserved.
