SEOUL — On November 4, a safety video starring SuperM, a global K-pop group, began airing on all Korean Air flights. The first was at KE621, which departed from Incheon at 7:45 am to Manila.
The brand-new safety video is in partnership with SM Entertainment, the largest entertainment company in Korea.
In-flight safety videos are required to present necessary safety information such as luggage storage, items banned during the flight, electronic device restrictions, no-smoking regulations, seatbelt signs, emergency exits, actions to take when cabin pressure rises, and how to wear the life jacket.
Korean Air expects to deliver essential safety information more effectively by grabbing passengers’ attention with its new safety video.
Innovative, entertaining video
Korean Air’s new safety video is unconventional, innovative and entertaining.
A renowned songwriter of SM Entertainment, Kenzie, created a project song called “Let’s go everywhere,” which was turned into a K-pop music video. By integrating safety rules into the music video, an unprecedented in-flight safety video was created.
The safety video features a mix of five music genres: hip-hop, R&B, electronic, deep house and synth pop. By mixing the various genres into one song, the video aims to capture the attention of a wide range of passengers.
This is the first safety video in music video form that features influential K-pop artists.
“Safety does not have to be serious or boring,” said a Korean Air spokesperson who led the creation of the safety video. “We hope to deliver clear safety messages to our passengers through the brand-new safety video.”
Featuring global K-pop artists
The cast of Korean Air’s new in-flight safety video is quite glamorous.
SuperM is a new project group recently created by SM Entertainment, with seven K-pop stars from existing SM boy groups: Taemin from Shinee, Kai and Baekhyun from Exo, Taeyong and Mark from NCT 127, and Ten and Lucas from WayV.
On October 5, SuperM successfully held its first concert in Los Angeles, and they will soon begin a North American tour in November 2019.
SuperM’s first mini album also recorded No. 1 on the Billboard 200 albums chart.
The safety video’s song, “Let’s go everywhere,” will be released as a single album on November 18.
According to Korean Air, profits from the album will be donated in the names of Korean Air and SM Entertainment to the Global Poverty Project's Global Citizen campaign.
Global Citizen is a campaign that aims to end extreme poverty, climate change and global inequality in collaboration with leaders of 193 UN member nations, governments, philanthropists and civil organizations.
Furthermore, BoA, a famous K-pop singer, served as the narrator of the video, drawing much attention.
Korean Air will host various events to promote its new safety video.
A safety video sharing event is ongoing until December 10, encouraging customers to share the video uploaded on Korean Air's Youtube channel. A model airplane with the SuperM livery will be awarded to 100 winners.
The event will soon be followed by a dance cover event for “Let’s go everywhere” from November 18. A total of six teams will be selected and provided with Korean Air international round-trip tickets. Details can be found on Korean Air's website.
Contributing to K-pop culture
Major airlines around the world have created unique in-flight safety videos that reflect culture and characteristics of their country.
For example, British Airways conveyed a witty safety message by featuring British celebrities in its safety video.
A few years ago, Air New Zealand introduced a safety video themed after “Lord of the Rings,” featuring the Hobbit and elves.
Virgin America also drew attention with its song-and-dance safety video.
Korean Air’s unique safety video drew on the popularity of K-pop and Korean culture. The collaboration with SuperM is expected to create great synergy in expanding its global impact and network.
With the launch of the new safety video, Korean Air plans to actively contribute to the spreading of K-pop and Korean pop culture around the world.