Netflix star Priyanka Mohan named honorary ambassador for Korean tourism

The Korea Tourism Organization is setting its sights on India — the world's most populous country — by enlisting a popular Indian actor known for her affinity for Korea as its honorary ambassador.

The organization announced Monday that it had appointed Indian actor Priyanka Mohan as honorary ambassador for Korean tourism.

Mohan made her debut in 2019 and has built her career primarily in South Indian cinema. She starred in the Netflix original film "Made in Korea," released in March, which topped India's Netflix movie chart for two consecutive weeks and performed well in seven countries including those in the Middle East, raising her international profile. She currently has around 6 million Instagram followers and has regularly shared Korea-related content with her audience.

To mark the appointment, Mohan will spend a week in Korea visiting sites including Seoul Forest, Tongin Market, and Gyeongju's Solgeo Art Museum and Wooyang Museum of Contemporary Art. Her itinerary centers on hands-on experiences — a traditional market tour, a K-food cooking class, a wellness spa and a personal color consultation. At Solhyangjae in Eunpyeong Hanok Village, she will attend a gayageum concert set in a hanok and plans to share the journey with her global fans in real time.

"Filming the Netflix movie made me fall deeply in love with Korea's charms," Mohan said. "Through this opportunity, I want to experience different parts of Korea firsthand and introduce the appeal of local culture to my fans in India."

The organization regards India as a core strategic market. The country's rapidly expanding middle class is driving a surge in outbound travel demand. According to India's Ministry of Tourism, 32.71 million Indians traveled abroad last year, and the World Travel and Tourism Council projects the Indian outbound travel market will grow at an average annual rate of more than 11 percent.

Korea Tourism Organization President Park Sung-hyuk said India ranked second among 30 countries surveyed in the 2026 Overseas Hallyu Survey, with 83.8 percent of respondents expressing favorable views of Korean content. He added that the South Korean president's visit to India in April had created fresh momentum for bilateral exchanges. "We will accelerate local marketing efforts to translate Priyanka Mohan's broad public influence into actual visits to Korea," Park said.