U.S. couple that took in Korean tourists invited to Korea

Andrea Campagna, center, and Alexander Campagna pose for a photo with officials from the Korea Tourism Organization on Monday. [KOREA TOURISM ORGANIZATION]

The couple that hosted a Korean group stuck in a blizzard near Buffalo, New York, will travel to Korea on May 14 for a weeklong trip sponsored by the Korea Tourism Organizaion (KTO), the organization announced Monday.

Alexander and Andrea Campagna had sheltered a group of nine Korean tourists who were stuck in the middle of a snowstorm during their trip to Niagara Falls on Dec. 23 last year.

When the travellers knocked on their doors asking for a shovel to dig out their vehicle, the Campagnas let them into their place and hosted them for three days until the blizzard subsided.

The Campagnas and nine Koreans spent Christmas together, and the couple's good deeds made the headlines of numerous newspapers, including the New York Times.

New York Governor Kathy Hochul awarded them a medal for public service to recognize their actions in January.

"This invitation is a token of our appreciation for the American couple who lent their helping hands to the Korean tourists stranded in heavy snow," the KTO's New York branch manager Park Jae-seok said on Monday. "We hope this shows the world that Korea returns the favors it received."

The Campaganas will reunite with the Koreans they hosted and experience Korean culture firsthand, attending a Korean food cooking class and a cosmetics tour.

BY LEE JI-YOUNG [sohn.dongjoo@joongang.co.kr]