Netflix turns everyday Korea into tourist attraction

On Tuesday, Zineb Baaout, a Moroccan-born travel content creator based in the U.S., posted an Instagram Reel showing her trip to Ttukseom Hangang Park in Seoul, where she enjoyed a bowl of instant noodles. She wrote to her followers: “600 K-dramas later, I finally got to see the hype around eating Ramyeon and watching the sunset at the Han River in person.”

What used to be a humble late-night ritual for locals has now become a bucket-list experience for visitors. Driven by global Over-The-Top (OTT) streaming platforms, most notably Netflix, tourists are flocking to Korea in growing numbers and shifting away from traditional landmark-hopping to immerse themselves in the everyday lifestyles, convenience store eats and neighborhood haunts featured in Korean dramas.

Korean dramas and idol groups such as BTS and BLACKPINK had already fueled global interest in Korean culture and tourism before Netflix entered the Korean market a decade ago. Yet the volume of tourists and the diversity of travel content inspired by Korean popular culture have grown exponentially with the rise of the streaming platform and its hit Korean series.

According to data released by global travel platform Trip.com, the worldwide release of the animated film "KPop: Demon Hunters" last year triggered a dramatic surge in European travel demand to Korea. In the four weeks following its premiere, flight bookings to Korea jumped 146 percent from Spain and 122 percent from Germany. Foreign visitor numbers to Bukchon Hanok Village also spiked 118 percent, turning historic neighborhoods alongside Myeong-dong and N Seoul Tower into key fandom pilgrimage routes.

A recent "K-Content Tourism" exploratory study conducted by I&I Research and commissioned by media outlet K EnterTech Hub offers further insight into this viewer-to-tourist pipeline. The survey sampled 105 recent international visitors across five countries — the United States, the United Kingdom, Singapore, Japan and the Philippines — with 93 percent having arrived in Korea within the last six months and the majority aged between 25 and 34.

"Eight in 10 had watched Korean content on Netflix before coming to Korea, and more than six in 10 had visited places featured in that content, such as Bukchon Hanok Village," said Jung Han, CEO of K EnterTech Hub. "Every respondent had shared their trip on social media."

Han emphasized that Korean content in key markets like the U.S. has crossed over into the cultural mainstream. "In the U.S., Korean content has reached people who never went looking for it," Han said.

"Not long ago, talking about a Korean drama meant finding a hallyu (Korean wave) fan. Now Americans bring up Korean shows first, whether in a university classroom or an industry meeting. That is because Netflix recommends Korean titles on the same home screen as American ones. People no longer watch something because it is Korean. They watch because it looks good, and then discover it is Korean."

The CEO noted that the landmark success of "Squid Game" in 2021 marked a definitive turning point for both viewers and content strategy.

At a recent conference, Kim Mi-hoo, marketing director at Netflix Korea, shared that "Squid Game" transformed Netflix’s marketing approach, leading to Korean titles being planned with international audiences in mind from inception.

"Fans used to track down filming locations on their own after a show aired," Jung said. "For the third season of 'Squid Game,' tourism and consumer tie-ins were planned before release, from a Young-hee statue in Gwanghwamun to Chungju’s Cheongmyeongju rice wine placed in the show."

This shift reshapes local retail and education. Major convenience store chain GS25 partnered with Netflix to release a dedicated 10th-anniversary collaboration lineup — featuring show-themed ready-to-eat meals and street-food-inspired snacks — alongside specialized foreign-tourist transit cards.

Korean universities are expanding their offerings. Dong-A University in Busan, for instance, has established a specialized K-Food department tailored exclusively for international students — even recruiting celebrity chefs featured in "Culinary Class Wars" to mentor the next generation of global culinary talent.

Beyond the dining table, the desire for authentic engagement is redrawing Korea's tourism map. Rather than confining themselves to crowded shopping districts, screen-inspired travelers are actively venturing into historic alleyways and regional hubs — strolling along the tranquil Hanyangdoseong City Wall and Naksan Park at dusk, or exploring regional traditional markets to sample local delicacies alongside residents.

Seeking unvarnished everyday experiences

Culture critic Jung Duk-hyun notes that foreign tourists increasingly desire authentic, unvarnished experiences over scripted tourist attractions.

"In the past, foreign visitors primarily visited ancient palaces or famous landmarks," Jung said. "Now, they want to experience daily life — having a beer at a neighborhood convenience store, grabbing a drink at a pub after work, eating instant ramen by the Han River, or visiting a public bathhouse or traditional Korean sauna 'jjimjilbang.'"

According to Jung, the global reach of streaming platforms has fundamentally altered how Korea is portrayed to the world.

"Previously, Western media portrayals of Korea often focused on North Korea or exoticized views," he observed. "Today, because Korean-produced content is distributed directly worldwide, our everyday lives are presented as they are."

"Foreign viewers now recognize that this everyday life is Korea, and it is natural for travelers to want to experience that authenticity firsthand. Global OTT platforms, led by Netflix, have played a decisive role in driving this change," he added.