KTO names Indian mathematician as honorary ambassador

Anand Kumar, a celebrated Indian mathematician and educator known for his groundbreaking Super 30 program, has been named an honorary ambassador for the Korea Tourism Organization (KTO). His appointment ceremony took place last Friday.

Kumar, widely recognized for his dedication to providing free education to underprivileged students in India, founded Super 30 in 2002.

Each year, the program selects 30 students from economically disadvantaged backgrounds and offers them free lodging and education. Since its inception, Super 30 has helped over 400 students secure admission to the prestigious Indian Institutes of Technology.

In his new role as an honorary ambassador, Kumar is set to explore Korea's educational and cultural landscape. His visit includes tours of key educational institutions, such as Seoul National University and the Samsung Innovation Museum, as well as prominent tourist sites like Cheong Wa Dae and the Demilitarized Zone. The trip also aligns with the KTO's "Korea Super 30" campaign, which brought 30 Indian students to Korea, including three from Kumar's own Super 30 program.

The KTO's New Delhi office, which launched the Korea Super 30 initiative in July, sees the visit as an opportunity to collaborate with Indian travel agencies to develop educational travel packages to Korea.

"India's favorable view of Korea is growing, with 84.5 percent (of respondents in a survey reporting positive sentiment toward Korea), making it the second-highest among 26 countries surveyed in the 2024 Overseas Hallyu Study," said an official from the KTO's international tourism office. "With the younger generation in India showing increasing interest in Korean culture, we plan to work closely with Anand Kumar to engage this audience through various promotional activities."