Seoul City and SM teaming up to boost hallyu tourism with dance & vocal lessons

[jeliza]

Tourists visiting Seoul will have a chance to learn K-pop dances from instructors who teach hallyu stars.

Seoul Metropolitan Government (SMG) said it would expand the existing K-pop dance lessons together with SM Entertainment, one of the nation’s largest agencies, beginning next year.

This is part of SMG’s programs to attract more hallyu fans to the city to boost tourism.

The city planned to give lessons to 450 people this year, but 850 have already applied for the program, according to city officials.

“According to a survey conducted by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, the number of active members registered with hallyu fan clubs worldwide topped 3 million in 2011 and reached 9.3 million in 2013,” a city official said.

Since August, the city has been testing the program, in which expert instructors from SM teach hallyu fans how to dance to the latest songs of the company’s artists, Girls’ Generation, SHINee and EXO.

Separately from the dance class, the SMG will diversify the programs by additionally operating K-pop vocal classes, tours of broadcasting companies and Korean language classes featuring Korean soap operas.

It will also select Seoul’s top 10 hallyu destinations and develop them into tours by the first half of next year.

SMG will provide subsidies not only to Korean but also to foreign broadcasters and production companies, which feature the city in their TV shows, dramas or movies.

It will also financially support small-sized startup companies willing to jump into tourism. “Especially, we’ll help promote startup companies that develop smartphone applications to introduce must-see attractions in the city,” the official said.

Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon met CEOs of six startup companies at a town hall meeting in Gangnam, southern Seoul. They discussed how to cooperate with each other to attract more tourists to Seoul.

“Tourism is an important industry for economic growth and youth employment because the number of tourists to Korea is growing every year,” said Park.

“SMG will closely discuss and cooperate with private companies to develop tourism in the city and actively support startup companies with strong technologies and fresh ideas.”

source: Korea Times



Do you want SM to teach you to dance, Omona?

Comments

[setsuna16.livejournal.com]

The only things I might want SM to teach me are about how to treat people like shit without worrying about their souls.

But I don't think I ever want to get to THAT point.

[opd-devil.livejournal.com]

Lol

[atopworld.livejournal.com]

Are they gonna teach me the dance of freedom?

[opd-devil.livejournal.com]

Hahhaahha

[waves-of-light.livejournal.com]

I love you

[bunica1990.livejournal.com]

Lol

[iznanassi.livejournal.com]

if SM gave me free plastic surgery i'd be down

[simprov.livejournal.com]

lol mte

[shocko-o.livejournal.com]

is this another, less creepy, way to scout kids?

[baboboy.livejournal.com]

lmao an sm article with a junsu gif op?

meh just give them a free trip and a makeover and you're all set, throw in a saranghae + mianhae + juseyo from oppa and call it a day

[jeliza]

I might have been feeling just a little snarky.
And it is my best dancing gif. :)

[haixiao.livejournal.com]

i want whoever choreographed lucifer to teach me how to dance

[fefakm.livejournal.com]

I think it's great they are diversifying the programs and giving people who dont have spare $200 to spend on a vocal lesson from a sm expert (yes, that's how much it costs for just 1h lesson at their studio... waaay more if you wanna record).
Anyway... i did the dance one and it was super fun :D

[ariellm13.livejournal.com]

Honestly, one professional vocal lesson can improve you leaps and bounds. $200 isn't that steep for an hour from an expert. Some pros charge more.

[chomsky.livejournal.com]

preach. I take voice lessons as much as I can and 45 minutes with the guy I go to costs $100, meaning I do a lot of trading for photography work, hahaha.

[lazmy.livejournal.com]

where do i sign up for the free nose job

[arysthaeniru.livejournal.com]

I continue to be surprised by just how much the korean government supports and markets kpop to be a tourist attraction. This sounds pretty neat, actually, SM's artists do come out as generally okay singers and/or dancers, so I mean, their instructors do their jobs well, and a more stress-free environment to get a couple of lessons would be nice! Something I'd definitely love to try.

On the other hand, it might continue to foster the idea that being an idol is easy and might up fan entitlement...

[bunica1990.livejournal.com]

FREE SHINEE ALBUMS PLS

[seulgibear.livejournal.com]

only if xiumin or seulgi are the ones teaching me : )

props to sm for this, it's a nice program. surely it will attract a lot of attention (yes i do feel shame whenever i outright praise sm)

[audiograms.livejournal.com]

I mean it's a good business idea.

[fukkthedumbshyt.livejournal.com]

I wouldn't fly to another country for something like this that I can get at home but it makes sense for SEA other East Asian kpop fans. They are closer, the most likely to sign up, and travel is cheaper for them. I wish they'd push more non K-Pop tourism draws though because even though I like K-Pop, I wouldn't want a trip to be K-Pop 24/7. Luckily I have Korean friends to help me find cool stuff to do but not everyone has that.