1. The Foreign Ministry held the launching ceremony of the 14th group of “collegian supporters for safe overseas travel” on July 24.

° The 14th group of collegian supporters for safe overseas travel is composed of 59 college students in 14 teams of four to five people -- seven teams from the capital area, three from Gyeonggi-do (province), two from Chungcheong-do, one from Daegu and another from Jeolla-do. The teams will carry out original promotional activities across the country on safe overseas travel.

2. At the ceremony, Ambassador for Overseas Koreans and Consular Affairs Han Dong-man asked the 14th group of collegian supporters for safe overseas travel to help raise safety awareness of Korean travelers abroad through closer communication with the public in young, original ways.

° Hye-rim, a former member of the “Wonder Girls,” a popular girl group, who had made the supporters group, attended the launching ceremony, drawing keen interest. Speaking of her motive behind joining the supporters group, she mentioned that “I wanted to do something meaningful as not a singer but an ordinary college student. I will take an active part along with the other students in the Foreign Ministry’s promotional activities on safe overseas travel.

° Another member of the supporters group said that “In the course of applying to join the group, I came to learn for the first time about various services the Foreign Ministry offers on its website on safe overseas travel. Amid the growing number of incidents and accidents overseas of late, I think that travel advisories and the “registration on the safe overseas travel website” service are essential for safe and pleasant travel, and for this reason, I want to let many people know about these services.

3. For four months from July, the 14th supporters group will carry out various original promotional activities on safe overseas travel in a bid to provide relevant information to the public. Among the activities will be producing user-created contents (UCCs), conducting campaigns at Incheon International Airport, and holding “talk concerts” with famous people.

※ The group of “collegian supporters for safe overseas travel” has been formed on a biannual basis since 2010 to carry out diverse, online and off-line promotional activities designed to raise safety awareness of Korean travelers abroad and spread relevant information.

※ For further details about various activities of the 14th group of “collegian supporters for safe overseas travel,” visit its official blog at http://blog.naver.com/0404safetravel (available in Korean only).


* unofficial translation