The Seoul Metropolitan Government will provide field trips to foreign visitors to the capital to increase their understanding of Korean culture and promote the city, officials said Thursday.

The city government plans to offer 1,000 foreign visitors this year a chance to experience Korean culture during their stay in the capital.

The program was launched in 2008 to promote the city to foreign visitors. City officials say that this year the program is designed to publicize the 2012 Yeosu Expo from May to August and the 26th Seoul Congress of the International Society for the Performing Arts in June.

The field trips feature tours of royal palaces, walking around the city, trying martial arts, cooking Korean food and attending K-Pop concerts.

The first team to take the trip is a group of 22 U.S. students in Korea for a cultural exchange program organized by the Korea Society, a U.S.-based organization dedicated to the mutual understanding between South Korea and the United States.

For those interested in applying for the field trip, go to english.seoul.go.kr or write to cij2020@seoul.go.kr.

By Lee Woo-young  (wylee@heraldcorp.com)