He is the kind of boy that all girls want to bring home. He is also the kind of young man that all moms want to see their girls bring home. Even President Park Geun-hye wanted him -- he was invited to play host to the president at the recent opening of K-Style Hub, a tourism center in Seoul.

Actor Song Joong-ki, the latest Korean pop cultural heartthrob, is the most wanted guy in town. As Army Capt. Yoo Si-jin in the recently concluded KBS2 TV drama series “Descendants of the Sun,” the 30-year-old actor stole the hearts of countless women, not only in Korea, but in China, where it was released simultaneously, and elsewhere around Asia as well. Who could resist the tough special forces captain with a winsome smile who defies death again and again and rescues his woman, Dr. Kang Mo-yeon, played by hallyu star Song Hye-kyo, from seemingly impossible situations? This is the stuff of which romantic fantasies are made.

Just as women have been besotted with Song, so have businesses who are eager to have his “pretty boy” face on their products. In the last few weeks, Song has signed endorsement deals with Jeju Air and a cosmetics company, and rumors abound of an imminent mega deal with a major duty-free store.

“Descendants” made such an impression on Park that she brought up the TV drama during a meeting of senior Blue House aides on March 21. The series was lauded as an example of how good cultural content can create economic and cultural values and also contribute to boosting tourism. She observed that “the drama can not only promote Korean culture globally, but also raise interest in Korea, thereby contributing to attracting tourists from overseas.”

Alas, she could have been unaware that the TV drama was shot largely in Greece and at a set built on an abandoned mining town in Taebaek, Gangwon Province, which was torn down in December after filming ended.

On Wednesday, the city of Taebaek announced that it would rebuild the set at a cost of some 2 billion won ($1.8 million) in an effort to woo hallyu fans to the mountainous city. Parts of the set could be completed by the end of June while the more memorable cathedrals featured in the drama could take longer to build.

With the cycle of entertainment consumption moving at an ever faster pace, it remains to be seen how successful this venture may be. By the time the location is reopened, yet another new hallyu star may have emerged. Already, the names of a few actors are being floated as the next “project.” Without a well-thought-out plan on how to use the set as a tourist destination, it will hold little attraction, other than as a photo spot.

For Song, all the attention thrown at him may be bewildering. The actor who debuted in 2008 started shooting the show last year right after his discharge from Korea’s compulsory military service. His earlier TV dramas and films got him noticed for his “pretty boy” look and his performances were generally well received, but nothing had prepared him for the overwhelming response “Descendants” would elicit.

When the 16-part drama series began airing in February, everyone was taken aback. It regularly achieved above-30 percent viewership with the final episode reaching a record 38.8 percent viewership. The TV drama had hit a jackpot.

Politicians riding on the back of celebrity power are nothing new. When Park attended the K-Style Hub opening with Song just two days before the general election, it was seen as a calculated move to woo young voters. However, political pundits say the plan backfired, claiming that, it rather alienated female fans of Song, who viewed the event as exploitation of their favorite star.

Park, during the senior aides meeting, had lauded “Descendants of the Sun” as having an educational effect in encouraging patriotism and instilling state philosophy. Whereas ordinary viewers went agog over the romance fantasy, Park saw the TV drama through a very different perspective - as a drama about service to the nation. At the meeting with Song, she called him a “patriotic young man,” surely intended as praise for the actor whose show is, in her view, all about patriotism, and whose acceptance of the appointment as goodwill ambassador for Korean tourism on April 1 was seen as an act of service to the country.

TV dramas do not need to and, indeed, should not aim to promote patriotism. That is an idea that is as anachronistic as it is out of place, a remnant from the past. Calling a young actor a patriotic young man does nothing to advance his career.

The power of Korean pop culture, or hallyu, lies in its free spirit - the unrestricted and uncensored expression of the zeitgeist. The minute the government steps in, much of the power of hallyu would be lost.

“Descendants of the Sun,” according to one report, could generate as much as 3 trillion won in economic output. The government would surely like to see such success replicated, but it should remember that the drama did this all on its own, without government intervention.

By Kim Hoo-ran

Kim Hoo-ran is the lifestyle desk editor of The Korea Herald. She can be reached at khooran@heraldcorp.com. - Ed.