KTO BIAS Campaign Guide: How K-Pop Fans Can Follow Artists to Suncheon, Gyeongju, Busan and Gangneung

KTO’s BIAS campaign, officially styled as BIAS: Be In Artists’ Scenes, is a Korea travel campaign built around K-pop artists and the places they visit. For fans planning a K-pop pilgrimage beyond Seoul, the campaign connects artist-led video content with regional travel routes in Suncheon, Gyeongju, Busan and Gangneung.¹

The Korea Tourism Organization said on June 24, 2026 that it is carrying out the BIAS campaign with K-pop artists including Stray Kids and MONSTA X until the end of November 2026.² The campaign name draws on “bias,” a word used by international K-pop fans to mean a favorite member or artist, and the longer title “Be In Artists’ Scenes” makes the travel idea direct: visit the places shown through the artists’ own content.³

What the KTO BIAS Campaign Covers

The campaign is designed to turn K-pop interest into actual regional travel. Instead of keeping fan tourism centered only in Seoul, KTO is linking artist content to local destinations and travel products. The featured pairings reported across the campaign are EXO’s Kai and Sehun with Suncheon, MONSTA X with Gyeongju, Stray Kids with Busan, and TWS with Gangneung.¹

The video content is being released sequentially through each artist’s official YouTube channel through July 9, 2026.⁴ For travelers, that matters because the videos function as a practical starting point: watch the relevant artist episode, identify the featured places, then check the dedicated campaign page or linked travel platforms for related products.

KTO is working with major entertainment companies including SM, Starship, JYP and HYBE to produce artist-specific regional tourism videos.⁴ The travel side is supported through platforms including NOL Universe, Creatrip, Klook and KKday, which are running product promotions connected to filming locations.² The Korea Times also reported KTO partnerships with Klook, KKday and Creatrip for itineraries tied to filming locations, restaurants and activities from the videos.¹

KTO president Park Sung-hyeuck described the logic behind the campaign clearly: “K-pop fans possess a powerful motivation to visit the exact places their favorite artists have set foot.”¹ In practical terms, the campaign treats fandom as a travel route, not just online attention.

How to Plan a BIAS-Inspired K-Pop Pilgrimage

Start by choosing the artist or region that matters most to your trip. If your focus is EXO’s Kai and Sehun, the official VISITKOREA campaign page already centers on Suncheon and lists multiple locations: Utjang Gukbap Alley, Suncheonman National Garden, Suncheonman Bay, Waonhaebyeon Beach Nowol Observatory, Ongnidan Street, Suncheon Jungang Market, Suncheon Traditional Wild Tea House and Seonamsa Temple.⁵

If your focus is Stray Kids, the official FANS update for “Travel Log in Busan” identifies Busan Songdo Beach, Busan Air Cruise and Bupyeong Kkangtong Market as featured locations in the Busan episode of SKZ CODE.⁶ The same update directs fans to create a Korea travel story by following Stray Kids’ footsteps and links to a Klook booking page, with support from the Korea Tourism Organization.⁶

For MONSTA X and TWS routes, the available campaign reporting identifies the regions but does not provide a detailed site-by-site list in the supplied material. MONSTA X is connected with Gyeongju, while TWS is connected with Gangneung.¹ Because the campaign content is being released in sequence through July 9, 2026, travelers should use the artist’s official channel and the VISITKOREA campaign page as the source for exact route details before booking.

When booking through travel platforms, read the eligibility terms closely. The official VISITKOREA page states that OTA discount benefits may require sign-up or login and are open only to international visitors to Korea, excluding foreigners residing in Korea.⁵ That condition is especially important if you are already living in Korea or planning to book for a mixed group of visitors and residents.

A practical planning order is simple. First, select the artist-region route. Second, watch the official campaign content for that route. Third, confirm the named locations on VISITKOREA or the linked platform page. Fourth, check whether any discount or package requires login, international visitor status or another booking condition. Finally, build enough time into the itinerary for regional travel rather than treating these stops as quick add-ons from Seoul.

What to Know Before Booking

The campaign runs until the end of November 2026, but the video rollout date and the travel product period are not the same thing. The artist content is scheduled to be released through July 9, 2026, while the broader K-travel campaign continues until November 2026.²⁵ If a specific platform promotion is important to you, confirm its current availability on that platform rather than assuming every benefit lasts for the full campaign period.

The campaign also has a clear regional tourism purpose. News1 reported that BIAS aims to connect artists’ footsteps with local tourism resources and turn K-pop recognition into real demand for visits to Korea and regional destinations.³ That makes the routes useful for fans who want more than a photo stop: the campaign is structured around places to visit, eat and experience, especially when platform itineraries are attached.

For travelers who want the most complete route, Suncheon currently has the clearest official location list in the supplied material through VISITKOREA. Busan has a confirmed Stray Kids route with three named stops through the official FANS update. Gyeongju and Gangneung are confirmed campaign regions, but the exact location lists should be checked through the relevant artist content as it becomes available.

About the Author

Patrick Choi

Administrator

View All Posts