Hallyu People_Meet the first foreigner recognized for traveling to all of Korea's nat'l heritage sites

With its roughly 5,000 years of rich history, Korea has been and is home to a wide range of cultural and natural heritage.

Since 2020, the South Korean government has been promoting Korea's national heritage to Koreans and foreigners alike through the "Visit Korean Heritage Campaign".

One of the programs within this campaign is the "Korean Heritage Passport Tour" through which participants visit all 76 of Korea's national heritage sites.

Today, we meet with a person who became the first foreigner to visit all of them in the span of just two months. It's Kuvvet Ayse who's joining us in the studio. Hello Ayse!

Ayse, just last week, you were acknowledged for having completed the "Korean Heritage Passport Tour", which is part of the Korea Heritage Agency and Korea Heritage Service's programs. Congratulations! How do you feel about this achievement?

So tell us more about this exciting tour.

76 sites in just two months. To me, that sounds almost impossible. How did you do it? How did you plan your trip and how did you move from one place to another?

Was there any site that you particularly remember?

A lot can happen on a two-month tour. Are there any fun episodes you could share? Or some trip that turned out to be totally different from what you expected?

Our theme today is Korean heritage sites, but Türkiye, the country you are from, also is known for its rich and diverse cultural heritage. I'm sure there are many heritage sites of Türkiye that you would like to introduce to Koreans visiting your country. Can you tell us about some of them?

Ayse, you majored in Korean, completed your master's degree here, and are active as a Korean language teacher. What sparked your interest in Korea?

You have finished the "Korean Heritage Passport Tour", but your travel plans do not end here, right? Please share with us your upcoming goals.

Thank you very much Ayse for joining us today. We wish you the best for all your travels and life in Korea.

Thank you Bella as always, we'll see you back tomorrow.