Prime Minister Kim Min-seok pledged to boldly push for regulatory reform and policy support to achieve a "virtuous cycle" connecting the content industry, tourism and regional economies.

Presiding over the tenth session of the National Tourism Strategy Meeting on Thursday, Kim promised to focus on eliminating inconveniences foreign tourists currently experience when they arrive in South Korea, as well as use public transportation, find lodging, shop and make payments.

The prime minister said the administration plans to foster the K-content, culture and tourism sector as one of the nation's key future strategic industries, referring to a survey that found nearly half of approximately 16 million foreign tourists who visited the country last year were impacted by K-content and traditional culture.

Kim vowed to establish an innovative ecosystem for the tourism sector in which new startups can invest.

He also mentioned next month's Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation(APEC) summit in Gyeongju, which the leaders of the U.S. and China are set to attend, saying Seoul will concentrate on revolutionizing the region's tourism.