• by Tanya Gazdik , March 26, 2011

Korea Tourism Organization is launching a global online campaign with the goal of introducing Korean food culture with the help of a Hollywood star and famous YouTube musicians.

At the center of the global online campaign is a Web site, www.buzz-korea.com, which targets English, Chinese and Japanese-speaking countries by highlighting different aspects of Korea. The Web site encourages user interaction, including the posting of stories about Korean food and culture. Users are encouraged to repost the Web site's address on social media sites such as Facebook, Twitter, Ameba and QQ.

"We would like to see the wide-spreading of the Korean culture and food to the American audience through this global campaign," says Lee Charm, the CEO of the Korea Tourism Organization, in a statement.

The effort includes a Korean cooking contest, "Korean Food, Top Chef Challenge," hosted by Cathlyn Choi. Choi is the producer of "Cathlyn's Korean Kitchen," the only Korean TV Cooking Show in English. In the show, she follows the six best American chefs who are challenged to present Korean food. The show will air through KOCE/OC channels of PBS on April 7. Included are teams from San Diego, Orange County, Calif. and Mexico.

One of the show's judges is James Kyson Lee, a Korean-American actor known for his role as Ando Masahashi in NBC's "Heroes." During his exclusive interview with PBS, Lee talks about his affection toward Korean food and its possibilities to be enjoyed by the citizens of the world. The interview and behind-the-scenes footage from the show also will be posted on Buzz Korea's website.

The general public can vote online for their favorite chef until March 30. Voters will eligible to win prizes including an iPad2, iTunes gift cards or "Heroes" season 1 DVDs autographed by Lee.

Another feature on the website is a three-minute long omnibus mini-drama starring Clara C. and Jennifer Chung, rising stars of YouTube who are proud of their Korean heritage. The video footage is scheduled to be released simultaneously through YouTube and Buzz Korea's campaign site.