Recognition for Her Great Contribution

Figure Skater Kim Yu-na gets Korean Tourism Star Award for her role in PyeongChang's winning bid

Figure skater Kim Yu-na was chosen as one of the Korean Tourism Stars by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Korea Tourism Organization (KTO) in recognition of her great contribution to PyeongChang winning the hosting rights for the 2018 Winter Olympics. The winner of the gold medal in the women's individual figure skating at the Vancouver Winter Olympics in February 2010 received the award at a ceremony held on July 14 at the auditorium of the Korea National Museum in Yongsan, Seoul. She thanked everyone for her award and the people in the country for the support they gave to PyeongChang's bid for the hosting rights. Kim currently is an ambassador for the Visit Korea Year 2010-2012, a tourism campaign organized by the KTO.
She said she will do the best she can to attract foreign tourists to Korea and upgrade Korea's international image both at home and abroad through figure skating. That's the most appropriate thing for me to do, she said. Kim also said the activities she participated in related to the PyeongChang bid were the most memorable events in her career. Now that the bid was a great success, the next thing to do is to make the PyeongChang Winter Olympics a great success with the help of all the people of Korea, she added. As for her sports diplomacy in the future, she said she would be greatly satisfied if she could make any contribution to the success of the PyeongChang Winter Olympics. Also winning the Korean tourism Star award was actor Soh Jin-sop for his photo collection entitled, ?he Way of Soh Jin-sop, displaying photos he took while traveling around Gangwon Province as the province's ambassador for tourism. Soh said as an actor he visited many cities around the country and he felt that all of them are beautiful, making you feel that Korea is a good country in which to live and he will try hard make Korea known to the world as best he can if he gets the chance.
The awards for attractive tourist sites went to the trails at Mt. Sobaek, the Hahoe Village in Andong and the Suncheon Natural Ecology Park. nw

(from top)Minister Choung Byoung-gug of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism is with the pair chosen as Korean Tourism Stars, Figure Staking Champion Kim Yu-na, right, and actor Soh Ji-seop, left, for their contributions to PyeongChang's winning the hosting rights for the 2018 Winter Olympics.

Chairman Nam Sang-man of Korea Tourism Association gives his speech at a ceremony for Korea Tourism Stars held July 14 at the auditorium of the Korea National Museum in Seoul.

Photos by NewsWorld