SEOUL, South Korea--(BUSINESS WIRE)--On July 7th 2009, the Korean Tourism Organization (KTO) launched the “Korea: 100 Sparkles” global online tourism promotion campaign in partnership with Yahoo!. The campaign’s official website, features Korean Hallyu stars telling netizens about the 100 main attractions of Korea. Netizens can watch videos and read articles on the stars’ favorite foods, beauty products, travel memories, and more.

The online campaign was launched in July 2009 and will continue until December 2009. During the months of July and August, an online voting event will be conducted. Titled ‘Korea’s Bright Sparks,’ the poll invites netizens of China, Japan, Singapore, and Taiwan to vote for “The Star I Most Want to Meet” among 10 Korean Hallyu stars selected by the KTO (Andy, Jang Seo-hee, Ji-Sung, Jun Jin, Kim Jun, Kwon Sang Woo, Lee Min Woo, Park Eun Hye, Park Yong Ha, Yun Ha). Fans will get to meet the most popular of these Hallyu stars on the ‘Sparkling Road Trip,’ which will be organized at a later date.

Currently, voting is fierce, as netizens from all over Asia visit the website daily to make their favorite star the winner of this event. There is still plenty of time before the survey ends, and the results change daily due to each of the different countries’ tastes.

Visitors to the “Korea: 100 Sparkles” website will also be introduced to some of the jewels of traveling in Korea. The site contains plenty of useful information on festivals, events, and performances organized in Incheon, Gangwon-do Province, and Gyeongsangbuk-do Province, as well as an article on the major shopping districts in Seoul. Articles on food and beauty will be uploaded soon.

The website also features a competition called ‘Blog Korea! Visit Korea!’. Anyone operating a blog in English or other languages is eligible to participate in this competition. Bloggers should post content on Korean culture and travel on their blogs and register their blogs through the KTO website at http://english.visitkorea.or.kr or VANK site at http://blog.prkorea.com. The KTO and VANK will award prizes to the top 100 bloggers, judged in terms of page visits, content, and activity. Prizes include the latest “Netbook” worth 500 US dollars. These 100 top bloggers will then be encouraged to continue posting entries on Korea, and next year the top three blogs will be selected. These winners will receive Korean travel vouchers worth $10,000 and $5,000, so they can have an unforgettable vacation in Korea with their friends and family.

Through a variety of online promotions that target a worldwide audience and through expanding international exchanges, the KTO will continue to work to enhance global interest in Korea and raise its visibility as a travel destination.

Photos/Multimedia Gallery Available: http://www.businesswire.com/cgi-bin/mmg.cgi?eid=6026036&lang=en