투비아 이스라엘리 (Tuvia Israeli)
주한 이스라엘대사 기고문
[원문]
Written by Tuvia Israeli, Ambassador of Israel
"The best secret of the world" claims a T-shirts that can be found in Namdaemun Market down town Seoul. Upon my arrival to Korea in the summer of 2009 I could totally identify with such a statement. Looking back at the last 17 months I feel that now I know much more about this country and its wonderfully unique people.
Exposing the secrets of Korea is a constant enjoyable learning journey. The KTO - Korea Tourism Organization with its very affective program – "Korea Tourism Supporters" is an important player to enable that journey. The program which combines Koreans, foreign diplomats` students and others, is tremendously helpful in exposing the "secrets of Korea" to me, as to other fellow ambassadors in Seoul. Thanks to the "Korea Tourism Supporters" I was able to visit many wonderful, interesting and inspiring places as Suncheon - Goyang – Gangjin – Gyeongju and Danyang.
The visit to the region of Goyang is to my mind the epitome of Korean tourism potential. Our first stop was at Myeongreung – The royal tomb of King Gongyang the last King of Goryeo. The site is a marvel and no wonder that it was designated as UNESCO World Heritage Site.
In a very typical manner to what one can encounter in Korea where the ancient and the modern are equally present and respected, our next destination was the largest & newest venue of Korea - KINTEX - Korea International Exhibition Center. , KINTEX is successfully staging numerous exhibitions, meetings and events in its full diversity.
Eco-Tourism is very much on the top of the agenda in Korea and in this particular tour to Goyang we had a most pleasant experience while visiting Janghang Marshy Land, it is a part of a very wide ranged swamp located in Goyang, Paju, Gimpo and Ganghwa. This area is very nicely kept as a feral state which is unique in the world by limiting access to visitors due to the division of Korean peninsula. Among the many activities at this site; bird watching, feeding wild animals while wandering in the swamp, introducing crab`s life environment and much more.
The Lake Park in Goyang is a wonderful place for recreation and leisure with different attractions and activities; Musical fountain/Cycling/Walking/Cactus exhibition and more.
The "Cherry on the Cake" in our tour was yet to come, when we visited the Goyang Aram Nuri Arts Center where we were lucky to take glimpse at a rehearsal of the "Phantom of the Opera" and to be totally impressed by the state of the art of the caustics` in the Concert Hall, hardly waiting to rush back to attend a wonderful concert there.
In summary, I chose to tell about my visit to Goyang for I strongly recommend taking that trip that is less than an hour away travel from Seoul.
The visit of that region provides a unique option to enjoy the variety of tourist attractions that Korea offers; progress and technology, history and culture, recreation and leisure, staying in nature and eco-tourism.
GO GOYANG!
