Park Ki-duk, chief executive of Gyeongbokgung Duty Free, received a commendation from the Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism on the 30th, marking the 53rd Tourism Day.
The ministry said Park was recognized for operating departure and arrival duty-free stores at Incheon, Gimhae and Cheongju international airports, making shopping more convenient for Korean and foreign travelers and shifting spending that would otherwise occur overseas back into the domestic market, thereby contributing to the tourism retail industry.
At its departure-hall stores, Gyeongbokgung Duty Free has brought in more than 250 small and mid-sized Korean brands to promote K-Food and K-Beauty to foreign customers, creating a platform for tourism-driven exports. Its arrival-hall stores carry product categories aimed at improving the travel experience for Korean customers.
"I see this award as the result of our efforts to run departure and arrival duty-free stores with customized shopping experiences and higher customer satisfaction as our top priorities," Park said. "We will continue working to become a leading duty-free operator that achieves sustainable tourism management."
