Tourists lift their hands at the Sageunjin Marine Park Observatory in Gangneung, Gangwon Province, June 23. Yonhap
An ambitious government initiative to map out 10,000 essential tourism destinations across Korea has drawn an unexpected level of public interest, forcing authorities to extend nationwide voting.
The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Korea Tourism Organization said Tuesday that their joint interactive project, “100×100 Project to Uncover Korea’s Attractions,” saw more than 30,000 public participants within the first week of its June 29 launch. Describing the voter turnout as exceptionally rare for a state-led campaign, officials confirmed that the voting window will now be extended through July 17.
The project leverages grassroots consensus to build a comprehensive domestic travel directory. A panel of 100 travel experts initially curated 100 distinct micro-themes, and the public is now tasked with voting for the top 100 destinations in each category to finalize a master list of 10,000 representative locations.
The diverse subcategories are organized under eight primary pillars: Architecture, Leisure and Sports, Nature and Ecology, Lifestyle, K-Content, Culture and Tradition, Gastronomy, and Travel Preferences. They range from specialized contemporary categories targeting inbound foreign travel demand — such as "K-Pop Pilgrimage Sites" and "Screen Locations (K-Scene 100)" — to highly niche local experiences, including "Gukbap and Hangover Soup Spots" and "Perfect Places for Spacing Out." Other curated lists feature wellness spas, independent bookstores tapped into the "text-hip" subculture, and traditional markets.
