Jimin helps the promotion of South Korea to the rest of the world, hence why some Korean media outlets have accorded him the title of 'Korea's Front-man.' Be it in matters of culture and tourism [refer to 1, 2,3], foods [4] or general economic impact [5, 6], Jimin has been reported to have had a hand in enhancing the performance of each of these industries for the benefit of his country and its citizens. He has even been credited for raising the brand ranking of Jeju City for the month of January 2022 following his visit to the island back in December of 2021, which suddenly made his visited locations hot tourism destination points [read here 7]. In entertainment matters, when reporting on BTS' activities such as concerts, Korean as well as international media entities tend to always highlight Jimin in their reports [read more 7, 8]. This trend had continued to be seen as his popularity and influence continue to grow even more.
On February 19th, a South Korean Seoul-based daily newspaper, the JoongAng Ilbo, known as Korea Central Daily in English and one of the three biggest newspapers in South Korea, reported on Jimin's recent trip to Jeju where he caused a spike in interest in a local dish called 'Dageumbari,' from fans. The article further states that, in fact, fans are still calling the restaurant to confirm Jimin being there and the meal he had. Jimin's immense popularity has once again led to higher visibility of this restaurant and the meal he had at the restaurant.
In a different instance, on February 19th, Jimin updated fans on his activities on the Weverse community platform. He shared that nowadays, he is up by 9 am and further added that he had started his day by taking 'citron tea,' a traditional Korean tea made by mixing hot water and Yuja-cheong or Yuja marmalade.
Just after this update, fans noticed that the google searches for this product had risen sharply by comparing its search interest over the past seven days to that recorded over the 4 hours following Jimin's post. Jimin had once again drawn attention to yet another traditional Korean food product.
Jimin's impact for Korea is undeniable. Anything that is associated with him, either by him mentioning it or him having the same product, will immediately draw attention from fans all around the globe, whether he is endorsing the product or not. He is the dream brand ambassador for any brand, and he has been representing his country exceptionally well. This is why he is called 'the pride of South Korea.'
Jimin's influence is unrivaled!