Struggling South Korea theme park in limelight after BTS performance

Sept. 18 (UPI) -- The rising popularity of South Korean entertainment overseas is boosting hopes that groups like BTS will have a multiplier effect on the local economy.

BTS's performance of "Dynamite" on Wednesday on the 15th season of NBC's America's Got Talent is drawing attention to global online interest in Everland, the largest theme park in South Korea, South Korean news service Money Today reported Friday.

The group -- RM, Jin, Suga, J-Hope, Jimin, V and Jungkook -- performed their hit song at the park, which has suffered economic setbacks due to COVID-19, according to Money Today.

Attractions like Everland, owned by Samsung C&T Corp., and local tourism boards in South Korea, are planning to leverage the power of influential celebrities to promote the country as a travel destination once the pandemic subsides, the report says.

BTS members have featured the city of Seoul in music videos. The most recent video released last week has gained more than 14 million views on YouTube, according to the report.

Other cities in South Korea are using popular culture to promote themselves. Ambiguous Dance Company, a local group that combines modern choreography with traditional Korean motifs, has been featured in music videos to promote cities like Jeonju and Busan.

South Korea's cultural exports, accounted for as copyright exports, have surged in the first half of 2020, Newsis reported Friday.

The popularity of groups like BTS and films like the Academy Award-winning Parasite have led to increased global demand for South Korea's copyright exports. The country's culture and arts copyright surplus reached $80 million for the first time, according to Bank of Korea statistics released Friday. The balance includes copyrights that cover K-pop, Korean television dramas, films and literary works.