North Jeolla institutions have teamed up to create immersive tourism experiences that blend traditional culture with ecotourism.
On March 23, the Jeonju Cultural Foundation announced it signed an MOU at the Korea Traditional Culture Center with the Korea National Park Service’s Western Regional Headquarters and the Jeonbuk International Cooperation Promotion Agency to develop tourism offerings that fuse traditional culture and ecotourism.
The signing was attended by Choi Rak-gi, CEO of the Jeonju Cultural Foundation; Kim Jong-sik, head of the Korea National Park Service’s Western Regional Headquarters; and Kim Ki-su, president of the Jeonbuk International Cooperation Promotion Agency.
The agreement aims to attract international visitors and boost the local economy by pairing North Jeolla’s ecotourism assets with Jeonju’s rich traditional culture.
Under the MOU, the three organizations will target international students and travelers by jointly offering hands-on Korean cooking classes like Jeonju bibimbap, traditional programs such as hanbok experiences, coordinated marketing across each agency’s channels, and the development of new collaborative projects.
Notably, the Jeonju Cultural Foundation plans to significantly expand participatory tourism tied to national park landscapes — building on last year’s success, when foreign visitors accounted for 34% of cooking-experience participants.
The agencies will soon form a working group to map out concrete steps for strengthening K-tourism competitiveness centered on Jeonju.
“We aim to elevate Jeonju as a global tourism hub by offering innovative, hands-on experiences that pair our outstanding natural environment with traditional culture,” said Choi Rak-gi, CEO of the Jeonju Cultural Foundation.
