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KBS’s newest travel series is a collaboration with the Seoul Tourism Organization titled “PLAY SEOUL.” Your favorite K-pop idols will be hosting the show, introducing popular and interesting places in Seoul that tourists tend to miss! Participating K-pop idols include Oh My Girl, NCT, Chung Ha, Kim Jae Hwan, Jo Seung Yeon, The Boyz, Stray Kids, (G)I-DLE, Ateez, BVNDIT, Secret Number, and Weekly.
Due to the pandemic, it is very difficult to travel around the world. ” Check out KOCOWA’s “Play Seoul” to satisfy all your travel urges and visit the sights of Seoul through the eyes of all your fave K-pop artists.
In the first episode of “PLAY SEOUL“, three idol groups, (G)I-DLE, The Boyz, and Stray Kidz take us to a few fascinating places in Seoul.
(G)I-DLE
About the girls taking us on a tour
The 6-member girl group debuted in 2018 and quickly won many music awards. This year,, they won Best Emotive Award at the 5th Asia Artist Award and Best Female Performance Award at the 34th Golden Disc Award for the song “Lion.” The women also broke the Guinness World Record for being the fastest to hang up five T-shirts in 25.41 seconds!
Yuqi and Minnie are aged 21 and 23 respectively; Yuqi was born in China while Minnie was born in Thailand. And the two of them are huge Super Junior fans!
Yuqi begins the episode by touring around Euljiro alley, which she calls “Hipjirol alley” because it’s a place where hipsters hang out. Euljiro alley is a place where people can see the old and new Seoul. It’s where the changes over time can be witnessed in one place!
Itaewon is the first place designated as a Special Tourist Zone in Seoul. It’s a melting pot for different cultures to come together.Minnie takes us to a rooftop cafe in Itaewon with beautiful scenery and delicious-looking cakes. She highly recommends this place, since it’s a good spot to take pictures and enjoy some nice desserts.
THE BOYZ
About the boys taking us on a tour
THE BOYZ is an 11-member boy group that debuted in 2017. The group has been on several variety shows and has won many awards such as New Hallyu Male Performance Award at the Soribada Best K-Music Awards.
The four boys taking us on a tour this episode are Jacob, Kevin, Hyunjae, and Eric. Jacob and Hyunjae are 23, while Eric and Kevin are 19 and 22 respectively. The group of four is so diverse in ethnicity! Both Jacob and Kevin were born in Canada, Eric in the US, and Hyunjae in Korea!
The idol group introduces us to two beautiful palaces, the Gyeongbok Palace and Changdeok Palace.
Kevin and Hyunjae bring us to Gyeongbok Palace, the first palace that was built in the Joseon Era. Popular series such as “Kingdom” and “The Moon Embracing the Sun” were filmed here! To enter the palace, citizens under the age of 24 get to enter for free, while foreigners just have to wear hanbok to get a free pass.
Meanwhile Jacob and Eric tour around Changdeok Palace. Changdeok Palace was added to the UNESCO World Heritage in 1997. The queen regency in “Kingdom” and “The King and the Clown” were filmed in Changdeok Palace! The mesmerizing rear garden in Changdeok Palace was only open to the Royal Family and special guests invited by the king in the past, now, tourists can visit it by going on a guided tour!
To sum up both palaces, the group gives quite an accurate description of them. Gyeongbok Palace is a place that amazes you with the immersive experience, while Changdeok Palace is a respite from the busy city.
Stray Kids
About the boys taking us on a tour
Stray Kids is an 8-member boy group that was formed through a variety show created by JYP. The boy group first debuted in 2017, and just this year alone, have won several awards such as, Best Music Video Award at Asia Artist Award and World Rookie of the Year at Gaon Chart Music Awards.
Among the four boys showing us around on this episode, Bangchan is the oldest at the age of 23, while the rest are just 20!
Hyunjin and Felix show us around the Han River. It is known as one of the top tourist attractions for foreign visitors. Hyunjin explains that the Han River is a good place to go and clear your mind, and is something he often does. The serenity of the river will clear anyone’s preoccupied mind.
The other pair, Bangchan and Seungmin, explore another relaxing spot known as the Seoul Forest Park, a theme park in Seongdong-gu located right next to Han River. Citizens participated in this beautiful park’s construction and activities.
Are you craving a trip to Seoul? Which of these places would you absolutely want to visit? Live vicariously with KOCOWA’s new travel reality show, “PLAY SEOUL!”
Subscribe to KOCOWA and start streaming “PLAY SEOUL!”
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