Snoopy in a gat: Korea's second-half welcome week kicks off Friday

A Snoopy character dressed in a traditional gat and hanbok will greet foreign tourists at gateways across South Korea. The initiative pairs Korean traditional culture with a globally recognized intellectual property, offering four special commemorative gifts and multilingual travel assistance to enhance visitor satisfaction.

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Korea Visit Year Committee will run the "2026 Second-Half Welcome Week" for 17 days from Friday through Nov. 15. The program coincides with the 2026 Korea Grand Festival and is designed to convey Korean hospitality to foreign tourists while providing travel conveniences and a range of tourism benefits.

Welcome booths will operate at Incheon and Jeju international airports, while greeting events for foreign tourists will be held at the Busan Bukang and Yeongdo cruise terminals and the Jeju Gangjeonghang cruise terminal. A farewell event for departing travelers will also take place at Incheon International Airport.

The welcome booth at Incheon International Airport's Terminal 1 arrivals hall will run from Friday through Nov. 15, while the booth at Jeju International Airport's international arrivals hall will operate from Saturday through Nov. 15. Staff at both booths will provide tourism information in English, Japanese and Chinese, distribute travel benefits for visitors to Korea, and run interactive events.

This year's second-half welcome week features a collaboration with Snoopy Garden, a Jeju theme park, to present welcome content blending Peanuts characters with elements of Korean traditional culture. Organizers plan to offer four types of special commemorative gifts featuring familiar characters such as Snoopy and Woodstock dressed in hanbok and a gat, as part of the hospitality experience.

Greeting events at cruise terminals are scheduled to coincide with ship arrivals — at the Busan Bukang and Yeongdo cruise terminals on Tuesday and at the Jeju Gangjeonghang cruise terminal on Nov. 9.

At each venue, staff will provide disembarking cruise passengers with tailored information on transportation, shopping and dining in multiple languages, and distribute address cards and maps for major tourist attractions. Free Wi-Fi zones will also be available to help travelers make the most of their limited time ashore.

Farewell events will be held at Incheon International Airport Terminal 1's departure hall on Nov. 7 and Nov. 14. Departing travelers will receive farewell cards and souvenirs bearing a QR code linking to the Visit Korea website, with the aim of encouraging return visits.

Full details about the welcome week are available on a multilingual website operated in English, Japanese and Chinese.

Han Hye-ri, secretary general of the committee, said the welcome week was intended to convey "Korea's warm hospitality and cultural appeal to foreign tourists through the meeting of the globally beloved Peanuts characters and Korean traditional culture." Han added that the committee would "continue expanding cooperation with private companies and local governments to improve tourist convenience at every stage of the visit — from arrival to departure — and pursue a range of projects to turn positive experiences in Korea into return visits."