Seoul, KOREA ¶ Dec 14, 2011 (Whowired) -- Jung-gu, located in central Seoul and famous for its best tourist attractions including Myeongdong, Deocksu Palace, Namsan Park and Seoul Plaza, plans to run an eye-catching tourists-dedicated zone for promoting medical tourism: a special photo zone in downtown Myeongdng, popular shopping district in Korea. The photo zone will be operated from Dec 15 to Jan 31 next year.

This unique photo zone -- a 4.2-m high and 3.5-m wide artwork -- will be decorated with a range of Korean traditional items -- hanbok (Korean traditional clothes), bok jori (a bamboo strainer shaped like a dipper), bokjumeoni (Korean traditional coin purse to represent good fortune), jangseung (a Korean totem pole usually made of wood) and other things intriguing enough to attract foreign tourists’ eyes. It will also carry Christmas and year-end messages until Dec 31, and then New Year’s greetings in January.

As part of joint marketing efforts, Seoul Tourism & Marketing, KT and Smartro, a subsidiary of BC Card, have joined forces with Jung-gu to create the artwork in the photo zone. The zone will be set up in front of Noon Square (formerly, Cosmos Department Store), a landmark shopping mall located at the entrance of Myeongdong, the opposite side of Lotte Young Plaza.

Choi Chang-sik, head of Jung-gu, expects that it will help visitors from home and abroad feel the vibe of Myeongdong at the end of one year and the beginning of another. “If Jung-gu is designated as a special zone for medical tourism, we will launch full-fledged marketing in partnership with China Union Pay to attract Chinese tourists,” said Choi.

by Sophia Park (press@whowired.com)