On the 11th, the Seoul Sports Council gathered in Seoul to put their heads together at the International Sports and Tourism Forum of Korea, China, and Japan

Sep 12, 2025

Provided by Kang Tae-sun, chairman of the Seoul Sports Council=Seoul Sports Council

The Seoul Sports Council (Chairman Kang Tae-sun) successfully held the '2025 Seoul International Sports and Tourism Forum' in University of Seoul on the 11th. The forum was prepared by the Seoul Olympic Memorial National Sports Promotion Foundation, the Korea Sports Association, the Seoul Tourism Foundation, the Seoul Metropolitan Sports Association, the Korean Tourism Association, the Korean Olympic Peace Society, the Korean Sports Journalist Federation, the Korean Sports Association, and the ㈔ K-Sports community. Under the theme of 'The Future of Global Sports Tourism and the Role of Seoul', about 300 experts from overseas and domestic sports and tourism sectors, the Seoul Sports Association, and the autonomous district sports association attended to promote international exchange and cooperation in sports and tourism.

At the opening ceremony, a memorandum of understanding (MOU) was signed between the Seoul Sports Council (Chairman Kang Tae-sun) and the Japan Sports and Tourism Association (Chairman Munehiko Harada), and in particular, a strategic alliance with Japan was established through the Sports and Tourism Forum. In addition, since signing the MOU in 1993, it plans to expand into sports friendly exchanges between Korea, China and Japan in connection with Beijing Sports Council, where sports friendly exchanges have been held for more than 30 years

The keynote presentation was presented by foreign speakers, including Yoo Byung-chae, head of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism's National Communication Office, Professor Pang Yan of Beijing Sports University (currently publishing more than 40 papers in major domestic and foreign journals specializing in sports tourism), and Munehiko Harada, chairman of the Japan Sports and Tourism Association (former president of Osaka Sports University).

The afternoon sports and tourism session was followed by in-depth presentations and discussions such as ▶AI and big data-based analysis of demand and strategies for Seoul-type sports tourism (Professor Park Jae-hyun of Korea Sports University) ▶ Future-oriented content creation through e-sports (Professor Song Seok-rok of Kyungdong University) ▶ Global Mega Events and Tourism Strategy (Professor Yoon Eun-joo of Hanlim University) ▶ Global Marketing Strategy for Seoul Sports and Tourism (Professor Hwang Sun-hwan of University of Seoul, chairperson of the Korea Tourism Organization).

photo courtesy of the Seoul Sports Council

Various side events were also held at the venue. The Seoul Sports and Seoul Tourism Promotion Booth, jointly operated by the Seoul Sports Association and the Seoul Tourism Foundation, held exhibitions and promotions to promote Seoul's sports infrastructure and tourist attractions, and laser shooting and new sports experience zones were operated where domestic and foreigners could participate directly. In addition, a graduate student idea contest was held to discover future talents in sports tourism, and several graduate students participated and competed enthusiastically. The final four works have been selected as winners, and the Seoul Sports Council will actively review and support the winning works of the contest to lead to actual policies. Kang Tae-sun, chairman of the Seoul Sports Council, said "We hope that this forum will further promote sports tourism exchanges between Korea, China and Japan."The Seoul Sports Council will continue to do its best to enrich the lives of citizens through sports and make Seoul a world-class sports tourism city." he said.

The forum concluded with a pledge of joint efforts to build future-oriented cooperative relationships and revitalize sports tourism. The Seoul Sports Council plans to continue to provide a venue for continuous exchanges by holding regular international forums in the future.

This article was translated by Naver AI translator.