The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism headquarters at Government Complex Sejong
As Korea grapples with an accelerating demographic crisis that threatens to hollow out its rural provinces, the government is turning to its own citizens to help rescue local economies.
The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, alongside the Korea Tourism Organization, recently concluded a fast-paced, three-week public policy competition that drew over 1,100 submissions. The competition aims to crowdsource novel, actionable ideas to boost inbound international travel and breathe life into the country’s quiet regional economies.
The initiative follows directives from February’s National Tourism Strategy Council, where officials stressed the urgent need to decentralize tourism away from Seoul. Ultimately, judges selected 20 winning proposals, ranging from regulatory overhauls to transit overhauls.
Taking the grand prize was Kim Deok-hyeon, a graduate student in his 20s, who proposed expanding Korea's existing tourism resident ID card to foreign visitors. Currently restricted to citizens, the program grants cardholders discounts on lodging and experiences in designated regions with severe population decline. Under Kim’s framework, international tourists will receive a modified digital pass bundled with regional transit discounts and long-stay incentives, effectively nudging travelers past the capital's borders.
