'Will you get it listed as a World Heritage Site?'
Yangju city announced Monday that its social media character Byeolsan has teamed up with rapper NewEast to promote the Hoeamsa Temple Site through rap. The pair filmed an unconventional video at a museum cafe, ordering from the menu in rap while introducing the history and key relics of the millennium-old temple site.
The video — titled "Catching Up with John Park! Not McDonald's, but Ediya at Hoeamsa Temple Site (with NewEast)" — parodies a viral clip in which singer John Park rapped his order at a McDonald's. NewEast is the rap name of Shin Dong-jin, a Yangju city official.
In the video, Byeolsan and NewEast visit the cafe inside the Yangju Municipal Hoeamsa Temple Site Museum and rap their order of a "Hoeamsa Special Set" to a staff member.
Lyrics such as "the original of a thousand-year-old temple" and "Will you get it listed as a World Heritage Site?" weave in the site's history and Yangju's ongoing bid for UNESCO inscription.
An English-language rap segment introduces Hoeamsa as a Royal Temple and name-checks key relics including Royal Ceramics, Dragon tiles and a Stupa. The line "So show me the Asian Heritage" underscores the site's historical significance.
Yangju is pursuing UNESCO World Heritage status for the Hoeamsa Temple Site. The city plans to submit its nomination dossier by February 2028, with a final decision on inscription expected in 2029.
The video is available on Yangju city's official YouTube channel, "Yangju Byeolsan."
pjh@heraldcorp.com
