Jung Min-ho has worked as a staff writer at The Korea Times since 2012, mostly covering social and political issues. He currently belongs to the Politics & City Desk where he covers topics such as health, labor and human rights. Prior to joining the team, he was responsible for covering North Korea and sports. His article about a biosecurity breach of Middle East respiratory syndrome won him an award from the Korea Science Journalists Association in 2016. He is also the co-author of the book, "Medical Pioneers of Korea" (2019). He served as the head of the international relations committee at the Journalists Association of Korea from 2021 to 2023.
First foreign visitor this year receives airline tickets, hotel voucher
Korea's first foreign visitor for the year, fourth from right, smiles after receiving gifts from Korean Air at Incheon International Airport on Wednesday. Courtesy of Korean Air
By Jung Min-ho
By Jung Min-ho
The first foreign visitor to Korea this year has been welcomed with flowers and other special gifts.
The Chinese woman who arrived at Incheon International Airport at 1 a.m. from Beijing was greeted by Korean Air and airport staff with gifts, including a round-trip prestige-class ticket and a voucher for the Grand Hyatt Incheon.
“I came here to celebrate the New Year and experience Korean culture through traveling and shopping,” she said. “What a great start. I have good feelings about my trip.”
According to the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Korea Tourism Organization, the number of Chinese tourists surged more than 26 percent to 5.51 million in the first 11 months of 2019, compared with the previous year.