'Absolutely in Seoul' campaign goes global

Times Square screens campaign for a month

Tokyo's Shibuya district features large billboard

Bangkok, Beijing and Shanghai to follow in sequence

Marketing push spans key domestic and overseas sites

The "Seoul Syndrome" campaign video featuring aespa's Karina and Winter plays on a billboard in New York's Times Square. [Seoul Tourism Foundation]
The "Seoul Syndrome" campaign video featuring aespa's Karina and Winter plays on a billboard in New York's Times Square. [Seoul Tourism Foundation]

The Seoul Metropolitan Government and the Seoul Tourism Foundation are running large-scale outdoor advertisements at landmark sites in seven cities worldwide, including New York's Times Square. The strategy targets high-traffic landmarks to raise Seoul's global profile and drive visits.

The two organizations announced they are rolling out outdoor advertising for their global tourism campaign "Absolutely in Seoul," featuring aespa members Karina and Winter and the group RIIZE, at major cities worldwide, with Times Square as the flagship location.

Built around the concept of "Seoul Syndrome" — the idea that Seoul transforms the ordinary into the extraordinary — the campaign carries the message "Right here, where the unexpected becomes the norm: Absolutely in Seoul." The participation of Karina, Winter and RIIZE drew attention from fans around the world.

The outdoor push is designed to extend the momentum of the online campaign into the physical world, bringing the videos to landmark billboards in major cities to reach potential tourists offline. Campaign footage showcasing global K-pop artists alongside Seoul's diverse charms will appear on large screens at key locations abroad to broaden direct contact with prospective visitors.

The "Seoul Syndrome" campaign video featuring RIIZE plays on a billboard in New York's Times Square. [Seoul Tourism Foundation]
The "Seoul Syndrome" campaign video featuring RIIZE plays on a billboard in New York's Times Square. [Seoul Tourism Foundation]

At Times Square in New York, the campaign video will run on an outdoor billboard for about a month, from Nov. 2 through Nov. 29, targeting both locals and tourists to raise awareness of Seoul and encourage visits.

The campaign is also running simultaneously across major Asian cities. In Tokyo, the video is being shown on large media screens around the Shibuya Scramble area from Nov. 2 through Nov. 20. In Bangkok, it runs on large outdoor media throughout November. Taipei, Beijing, Shanghai and Jakarta will follow on their own respective schedules.

Domestically, the campaign is expanding its reach through private partnerships and public-interest advertising slots. Outdoor screens at major commercial hubs — including COEX, Myeong-dong, Euljiro and Jonggak — have been running the ads on a rolling basis since Oct. 12. The media facade "Lotte Town Light" on the Lotte Department Store flagship in Myeong-dong will display the campaign from Nov. 3 through Dec. 31, while screens inside Seoul Subway Line 2 and Sinbundang Line cars will carry the ads from Oct. 23 through Nov. 30.


terry@heraldcorp.com