The South Korean government is riding on the popularity of “Descendants of the Star” actor Song Joong-ki by appointing him as honorary ambassador for tourism. He was picked by the Ministry of Culture Sports and Tourism, and the Korea Tourism Organization (KTO).
One of his duties as ambassador would be to star in new commercials to promote 2016-2018 Visit Korea Year, reported Manila Bulletin. The commercials would be filmed in Taebaek and Jeongseon in Gangwon-do Province, where the 16-episode Korean drama was partly shot.
The concept of the commercials, scheduled to air in July, is “Walk into the Story” of Korea. Song would also shoot print ads for the campaign.
These sites would be turned into tourist destinations by the South Korea government which would feature traditional and contemporary Korean culture. The sites would include chain stores and cafes operated by a local coffee brand where Song’s character, Yoo Si-jin, dated Kang Mo-yeon, the character played by Song Hye Kyo, the lead stars of “Descendants of the Sun.” In Paju, located north of Seoul, it would be Camp Greaves, a former American military base that served as shooting site for the drama’s army scenes. There is also a former mine in Taebaek, an eastern city.
A South Korean psychologist explained the popularity of Song to his role as a mature professional soldier. It is a contrast to the very rich or very poor but with a run-on-the-mill boyish charm of the usual male leads in Korean dramas.
“Soldiers are attractive to viewers in a world of natural disasters and terrorism. A lot of middle-aged women have seen their men get older and lose their sparkle, so they like to fantasize about a strong capable man coming to the rescue,” elaborated Kim Byung-hoo.
One third of the followers of “Descendants of the Sun” in South Korea are women in their 40s, according to the KTO.
Another psychologist, Choi Sung-ae, added that women in Japan, Korea and China prefer their men to have feminine and masculine traits instead of being patriarchal males who boast of their power, money and status. Song fits the ideal male for them because while his masculinity surfaced after he completed recently a two-year compulsory military service, the actor was known for his feminine, pretty face during his early days in show business when he starred in “Sungkyunkwan Scandal” in 2010 and “A Werewolf Boy” in 2012.