Name: Charm Lee
Title: President
Company, city: Korea Tourism Organization; Seoul, South Korea
Number of employees: About 600
Recent project: “Start-up boom in tourism,” a project in which KTO helps 50 selected new companies develop into successful tourism businesses
First job: A teacher in Germany
Little-known fact about you: I was a successful Korean soap opera actor.
Your Business
Essential business philosophy: The three Kwan: 60 percent observation, 30 percent genuine interest in what you do and 10 percent relationship building. If you do the first two properly, the last will follow with little effort.
Best way to keep a competitive edge: Refresh yourself, mind and soul. Look at every day as a new start.
Yardstick of success: I measure success by how much fun I am having, if my position is satisfying and if I achieve results.
Your Business
What is the most important item you carry when traveling? Internet devices, smartphone, iPad, laptop
How you spend your time on board: I don’t have time to go to the movies anymore, so I catch up on board, or I sleep. I never eat on board.
Favorite restaurant in the world: Shi Hwa Dam, an upscale traditional Korean fusion restaurant.
Favorite destination: Jiri Mountain, the largest uninterrupted mountain range in Korea. Outside of Korea, I love Palau’s wonderful diving and more than 500 islands.
About Your Brand
What can travelers expect from a trip to Korea? Korea is a place to recharge and refresh your soul, a healthy place for the mind, body and spirit. Korean people have a tremendous amount of energy. Korea is clean and safe, with fresh, natural and healthy cuisine. Food is kept in its original form and not overcooked, leaving the essential nature intact. You can experience the five Asian elements in Korea: wood, fire, earth, metal and water. Korean food offers sour, bitter, sweet, pungent and salty flavors, as the cuisine reflects the environment, making Korea unique.
Travelers can experience traditional Asian medicine in Korea, which is becoming of more interest to the West. Additionally, Korea has state-of-the-art traditional Western medical and cosmetic facilities, offering services at the highest quality for considerably less than many other countries.
Hikers enjoy Korea’s tremendous mountain views, often represented in the traditional Asian paintings of mist hanging over mystical peaks. Mountains represent about 70 percent of the country, but there are also beaches, fishing spots, spas and a vast number of activities. Korea even has winter sports such as skiing and snowboarding. There are 15,000 Buddhist temples, about 300 of which offer temple stays ranging from a short stay to a traditional Buddhist monk experience.
You can experience the four seasons in Korea, from beautiful azaleas and cherry blossoms in the spring to warm summer months, autumn colors and winter sports.
What makes a trip to Korea unique? Having the latest technology, whether it is the newest iPad or smartphone, ensures we appeal to an international traveler. We are mindful of our passenger mix and try to cater to everyone, from those with a few dollars to spend to those with thousands to splurge on a luxury item. We increasingly work with our suppliers to offer travel retail exclusive items or regional firsts on some products.
Read This Next
All Reads on This Topic
Read Them All
Introducing
FX Excursions
FX Excursions offers the chance for once-in-a-lifetime experiences in destinations around the world.
#globility
Insta FeedDaily
May 26, 2022New Golden Rock Resort, Sint Eustatius
Golden Rock Resort, the upscale, contemporary lifestyle property, opened in 2021 on the remote Dutch Caribbean island of Sint Eustatius. Compared to many other Caribbean islands, Sint Eustatius (aka Statia) is not known for mass tourism.
Sponsored Content
Celebrity is celebrating Spring with 25% off Cruise Fares!
There’s no better time to plan the vacation you’ve been missing. Step aboard with your better half, your friends or the whole family and reconnect, reunite and rejoice with 25 percent off cruise fares for all guests. We’ll also help everyone get there with 25 percent off airfare from 20 major gateways across the country or $100 savings per person on flights from all other gateways when you book your air travel using Flights by Celebrity.*
Daily
May 25, 2022Princess Cruises Launches All-Inclusive Premier Add-On
Princess Premier, a new add-on recently launched by Princess Cruises, offers cruise-goers unlimited WiFi, premium/top-shelf beverages, photos and more. The new offer builds off the popular Princess Plus add-on to bring guests a more comprehensive bundle and savings of more than 50 percent when all the amenities are purchased separately.
Daily
May 25, 2022NoMo SoHo Hotel Launches Nation’s First NFT with Hotel Stay Experience
Recently, NoMo SoHo and its ownership, real estate and investment firm Sapir Corp Ltd., launched a curated NFT program, making NoMo SoHO the first hotel in the United States to offer guests an innovative way to book stays using blockchain technology.
Sponsored Content
TAP Air Portugal: 77 Years Young
TAP Air Portugal, or rather Transportes Aéreos Portugueses, was founded 77 years ago, March 14, 1945, and flew its first commercial flight September 19, 1946, inaugurating service from Lisbon to Madrid, Spain, aboard a Douglas DC-3.
Daily
May 25, 2022Celebrate the King During Memphis Elvis Week
From Aug. 9 to 17, Graceland in Memphis, Tennessee, will vibrate to the sound of the world’s favorite Elvis Presley tunes as Elvis Week 2022 gets underway. This year’s event will be a fun-filled mashup of tributes, concerts, special events and celebrity appearances, including actress Barbara Eden, who starred with Elvis in the 1960 film Flaming Star and became a household name for her lead role in the long-running television series I Dream of Jeannie.
eFlyer Deals
May 24, 2022New Surfing Offer at Gili Lankanfushi Maldives
Celebrate summer’s arrival with the new Gili Go Surfing Summer offer at Gili Lankanfushi Maldives. In addition to three days of surf instruction from the pros at luxury surf company Tropicsurf, the multiday offer also includes a one-hour lesson in the calm lagoon.
Sponsored Content
TAP Air Portugal’s Porto
When American travelers make plans to visit Portugal, Lisbon is usually their first stop.
eFlyer Lead
May 24, 2022Travel Edge Releases Travel Trends for 2022
With a network of more than 450 independent luxury advisors, Travel Edge, the North American leader in luxury travel, released a report on its findings for travel trends in 2022. No doubt the pandemic can be blamed as the main culprit behind many of these changing trends in travel, with travelers attempting to regain moments lost over the last two years.
ShareThis