Yonsei University & K-EnterTech Hub host ‘K-Culture Explained,’ mapping the OTT-tourism path that turns ‘viewers’ into ‘visitors’
Viewers’ intent to visit Korea is 72% — twice that of non-viewers. “The screen is not the end but the start of the journey.”
A 105-person survey across five countries, an interactive filming-location map, and a full report unveiled the same day
Related | Samseog Ko present ‘EnterTech · co-evolution’ at the New York Consulate General’s ‘Team Korea New York’ forum (June 22, Mon, local time)
■ Academia, public sector and industry convene — presenting the ‘OTT tourism’ conversion structure (watch → search → book → visit) and a system to sustain it
■ ‘Culinary Class Wars’ and ‘When Life Gives You Tangerines’ spotlighted as cases where K-content spilled over into flight bookings and local revenue
■ Netflix’s global social infrastructure and personalized recommendations assessed as the engine carrying K-content across borders
■ First release of a 5-country, 105-person survey — 98% first watched on Netflix, visit-decision influence 6.04/7, 78% of location-visitors shared on social media
■ In the roundtable: “In the streaming era, the content capital is Seoul” (Han Jung) — super-fans, K-content docents, fandom’s positive influence, and public ‘honest data’
■ AI-dubbing firm Hudson AI provided real-time Korean-English subtitle translation for foreign students across talks and the discussion
(Seoul, July 1, 2026) ‘OTT tourism’ — in which viewers of K-content move through search and flight booking to visit Korea and spend on the ground — has become a constant of Korean tourism. With inbound arrivals hitting a record 18.94 million in 2025 and a record first quarter of 4.76 million in 2026, K-content has become part of global viewers’ daily viewing routine, so exposure now converts directly into travel demand. K-content viewers’ intent to visit Korea stands at 72%, roughly double that of non-viewers (37%).
Jung Han
Experts gathered at Yonsei University on June 30 to explain this shift to foreign university students. ‘K-Culture Explained,’ co-hosted by Yonsei University (President Yoon Dong-seob)’s School of Communication, Office of International Affairs and Communication Research Institute together with K-EnterTech Hub, was held at Gakdang Hall in Daewoo Hall.