How Gen Z K-pop fans are reshaping South Korean tourism through cultural immersion

“Your hips need to push outward while your solar plexus goes down. You do a slight jump in this movement,” a professional dance instructor says to a room of struggling students. About 20 foreigners are gathered at 1Million Dance Studio in Seoul’s Seongdong district on a recent Sunday to learn the introductory choreography for the girl group Katseye’s track “Gameboy”. The studio draws a diverse crowd of international visitors. “I have loved dancing since I was young, but it is too expensive in the Netherlands, so I came to Korea,” says Mike, 24, who has come to learn the Korean language and K-pop dance. “Actually doing it is very difficult.” Rachel, a German woman in her 20s, visited the studio with a friend. “I used to learn and dance to hip-hop music in a university club in Germany,” she says. “But I developed an interest in K-pop and came with a friend who is staying in Korea as an exchange student.” Instructor Cho Soo-yeon says foreign nationals now account for about 70 per cent of the studio’s beginner hobby classes. “It seems many people want to feel a sense of accomplishment and build self-esteem while learning K-pop dance,” Cho says. Immersion over observation This active participation highlights a new wave in K-tourism driven by Gen Z and Gen Alpha, demographics that prefer immersive experiences to passive observation. Global travel platform Klook reported a 31.4 per cent increase in traffic for domestic cultural tourism experiences targeting foreigners last year. A Klook official says the platform’s data shows a clear shift away from historical landmarks such as Gyeongbokgung Palace or shopping districts such as Myeong-dong. Instead, tourists are booking active experiences, including dance classes, broadcast studio tours, visits to the demilitarised zone and K-drama-themed packages. International attendance at live television music broadcasts is climbing as commercial tour packages and digital apps streamline ticket access. “I set my travel schedule anticipating that the girl group Madein would appear on the broadcast in time for their comeback, and I won a ticket after applying through the Mnet Plus app,” says Yao, a 23-year-old Chinese woman waiting outside the CJ ENM broadcast building in Sangam-dong. “I also plan to watch the Korean musicals Death Note and Rent during this trip.” The desire to actively experience K-pop also extends to singing. Tourists are using studio experience packages where they receive vocal coaching from former K-pop singers or vocal trainers and even record their own songs. Singing K-pop at a noraebang, or Korean-style karaoke, is rapidly becoming a mandatory tourist activity. Credit card data from the Korea Tourism Data Lab showed foreign tourist spending at noraebang rose 54.8 per cent year on year between January 2024 and June 2025. In response, operators are actively expanding their foreign song libraries and translating remote controls and menus into English. K-culture brings in the visitors This specific demand is highly visible at HiKR Ground, a K-content complex in central Seoul that welcomed more than 2 million visitors early last year. The dedicated noraebang zone is one of its most popular attractions. This cultural immersion directly fuels the local K-beauty industry, as tourists pay to replicate the precise styling of their favourite artists. “Even in winter, which is the off-season for K-pop concerts, more than 20 people visit a day,” a salon official says. “The number surges when popular groups hold concerts or fan meetings. During Blackpink’s concert last summer, international fans lined up outside the store.” The official adds, “Recently, many foreign customers specifically request make-up similar to Ive member Jang Won-young.” Beyond aesthetics, international streaming platforms are pushing tourists to experience aspects of South Korean daily life. The hit Netflix animation KPop Demon Hunters has played a critical role in expanding this tourism demographic from diehard K-pop fans to the general public. In its “2025 Inbound Tourism Trend” report, the tourism platform Creatrip identifies this phenomenon as the “K-Dive” trend. The report notes that the massive popularity of KPop Demon Hunters has driven an increase in foreign reservations for experiences including visits to public baths and traditional dining spots. The economic footprint of this trend is expanding as Gen Z and Gen Alpha fans increasingly persuade their parents to fund extensive multi-city family holidays in South Korea. Mark Smith, a British man in his 50s, posted in a Facebook group seeking travel advice. He is organising the trip because his daughter, a diehard K-pop fan turning 21, wants to visit the country while she is still young. Smith and his wife are finalising a family itinerary for next month with four days in Seoul and four days in the southern port city of Busan. K-content has become a primary engine for Korea’s inbound tourism. According to the Korea Tourism Organisation, the proportion of foreign tourists citing K-content as their primary motivation for visiting the country rose from 32.1 per cent in 2023 to 41.8 per cent in the first quarter of last year. This demand will be heavily tested in the first half of this year as the globally renowned boy band BTS returns after a four-year hiatus. The group plans to hold six concerts in South Korea as part of their Arirang world tour. They will start at Seoul’s Gwanghwamun on March 21, before moving to Goyang Stadium for three shows on April 9, 11 and 12, then Busan on June 12 and 13. The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Korea Tourism Organisation estimate the maximum economic impact of a single BTS concert at around 1.2 trillion won (US$810 million). Even if the government’s projections are somewhat inflated, the six-show tour represents a major economic catalyst for Korean tourism. This article from the Hankook Ilbo, the sister publication of The Korea Times, is translated by a generative AI system and edited by The Korea Times. Read the full story at The Korea Times.

How Gen Z K-pop fans are reshaping South Korean tourism through cultural immersion

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}K-pop and K-culture are driving a rise in tourism in South Korea, and many Gen Z visitors are opting for immersive experiences

K-pop and K-culture are driving a rise in tourism in South Korea, and many Gen Z visitors are opting for immersive experiences