In 2012, PSY's "Gangnam Style" became the first YouTube video to surpass one billion views, transforming the Korean rapper into an international phenomenon virtually overnight. By 2013, the Korea Tourism Organization (KTO) saw an unprecedented opportunity: convert global curiosity about Korean pop culture into tourism growth. The result was PSY's Wiki Korea—a multi-platform campaign that enlisted PSY as the face of Korean tourism, combining television commercials across 70+ international channels with an interactive online platform where global audiences could explore and contribute to a crowdsourced "encyclopedia" of Korean culture.

As a Global Communications Intern at Prain Global—KTO's PR partner on this initiative—I supported the campaign's international outreach during its critical launch period. My role centered on cultural translation and localization: reviewing Korean source materials and rewriting them for English-speaking audiences, ensuring the campaign's messaging resonated authentically with North American viewers while preserving Korean cultural nuance. Working alongside senior PR managers and a global translation team, I contributed to narrative positioning, community engagement across social platforms, and on-ground support for the Buzz Korea event that brought international contest winners to experience Korea firsthand.

The campaign represented a pivotal moment in cultural diplomacy—leveraging the Korean Wave's momentum to build lasting tourism interest. Through my work adapting content and engaging global communities, I learned how to balance cultural authenticity with accessibility, translating not just language but context, humor, and values for audiences discovering Korea through a pop culture lens.