SEVENTEEN’s Seungkwan promotes village travel in his hometown of Jeju ... shares his stay in Sinchang-ri

【Financial News, Jeju = Reporter Jeong Yong-bok】 Seungkwan of SEVENTEEN, who is from Jeju, promotes village travel on the island by making green-tangerine dishes and taking a sunset bike ride in his hometown of Sinchang-ri. Jeju Province will use a video of Seungkwan trying local activities to promote stay-based tourism, in which visitors spend longer in the region, both in Korea and abroad.
According to Jeju Special Self-Governing Province on the 15th, it released the vlog ‘Bucas,’ featuring its tourism ambassador Seungkwan (whose real name is Boo Seung-kwan), on its official YouTube channel.
‘Bucas’ is a shortened name for ‘Boo Seung-kwan’s Jeju Kareum Stay.’ The video features footage Seungkwan filmed himself as he enjoyed lodging, food and village activities in his hometown of Jeju.
The video is set mainly in Sinchang-ri, Hangyeong-myeon, Jeju City. Seungkwan stayed at a village guesthouse, sampled local Jeju cuisine, and tried making dishes with green tangerines and taking a sunset bike ride. The video also captures sunsets along the coast, village scenery and the daily lives of local residents.

The main focus of this promotion is tourism that involves staying in a village and interacting with local residents, rather than taking a quick tour of famous attractions.
Kareum Stay is a Jeju-style village tourism brand combining ‘kareum,’ a Jeju dialect word for a small, pristine village, with the English word ‘stay.’ Local residents run lodging, food and activity programs, introducing visitors to the distinctive culture and way of life in their villages.
Thirteen villages in Jeju currently participate. Each offers activities drawing on its natural environment and residents’ way of life, including Sinchang-ri, featured in the video, as well as Gimnyeong-ri, Sehwa-ri, Gasiri, Jeoji-ri and Mureung 2-ri.
Jeju Province’s decision to put Seungkwan at the forefront of the campaign comes amid a shift in tourism policy. The province has designated this year the ‘The-Jeju Four Seasons Year of Visits’ and is moving away from a focus on increasing tourist numbers toward policies that aim to extend stays and improve the quality of the travel experience.

The idea is to encourage tourists to stay in villages and spend directly on lodging, food and activities, so that tourism spending also benefits local residents and small tourism businesses.
In addition to this vlog, Seungkwan appeared in the Jeju tourism campaign ad ‘The-Jeju Four Seasons: Jeju, Stay Longer.’ The ad features scenes of activities at Kareum Stay in Sinchang-ri, among others.
Jeju Province plans to run the ad in domestic media and at Singapore’s Changi Airport and China’s Shanghai Pudong Airport, among other locations, to attract tourists from abroad.
A distinctive feature of the campaign is that it draws on SEVENTEEN’s international profile while expanding its focus from famous tourist attractions to village trips run by local residents.

Seungkwan was appointed a tourism ambassador for Jeju Province in November 2024. He later contributed to efforts to protect the endangered Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphin through donations to Jeju under the Hometown Love Donation program, and last year he also donated to help preserve Jeju’s world documentary heritage.
The ad for this tourism campaign was also made as a pro bono contribution, with Seungkwan appearing without a fee. Jeju Governor Wi Seong-gon presented him with a plaque of appreciation for his work as an ambassador when Seungkwan visited Jeju for a shoot last September.
“Seungkwan’s sincerity, as someone who experienced Kareum Stay firsthand in his hometown, comes through in the video and tourism campaign,” Jeju Governor Wi Seong-gon said. “I hope many people in Korea and abroad will discover Jeju’s appeal as a place they’ll want to stay in throughout all four seasons.”


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