Couple who helped Koreans trapped in heavy snow visits Korea

“I took out all the Korean food ingredients I had at home and showed them, wanting to melt the hearts of those who must have been trembling from the cold and fear. My husband and I love Korean food and have soy sauce, pepper paste, and red pepper powder at home. I just wanted them to be comfortable in an unfamiliar place.”

Alexander Campana (40) and Andrea Campana (43), who provided shelter for 10 Korean tourists stranded due to heavy snowfall in northwestern New York for three days and two nights on December 23, recently shared their experience.

The Campanas visited Korea on Saturday at the invitation of the Korea Tourism Organization and met with Park Geon-young (55), one of the 10 Korean tourists they had provided shelter to, at a Korean restaurant located in Jongno-gu, Seoul. Park expressed gratitude towards the Campana couple, stating that they had welcomed 10 strangers into their home and gladly shared Korean food with them. Park said the Campana couple were lifesavers who rescued them during the heavy snowfall.

During the stay with Park's group, the couple cooked stir-fried pork and chicken and shared meals with them. They had Korean ingredients and even an electric rice cooker, as they enjoyed Korean cuisine regularly. Park expressed his gratitude for the couple's kindness, recalling how they opened their refrigerator and told them to cook and eat whatever Korean food they wanted. Becoming lifelong friends with Park and his group was the greatest reward, Alexander said.

The couple expressed their deep affection toward Korea. “On their first date, we had stir-fried pork at a Korean restaurant," Andrea said. "It was fate that brought Korean tourists to our home on that snowy day.”

During their 10-day trip to Korea starting on Saturday, they chose the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) as the place they most wanted to visit. “We’re interested not only in Korean food but also in history," the couple said. "It has been a long-time dream to travel to Korea, and it is an honor to make it come true.”


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