- A couple from Buffalo were rewarded by South Korea for taking in Korean tourists during a blizzard.
- They received a 10-day, all-expenses paid tour in Seoul from the Korean Tourism Organization.
A New York couple who gave South Korean tourists a safe place to stay during a blizzard was rewarded richly — with a 10-day, all-expenses-paid tour of Seoul.
Alexander and Andrea Campagna arrived in the city on May 13 at the invitation of the Korea Tourism Organization, per the agency.
Treated like heroes by the local government, they lunched with tourism officials, were hosted at the Four Seasons, brought to restaurants on the Michelin guide, visited the capital's landmarks, toured the Demilitarized Zone, and showed around a Buddhist temple, according to The New York Times.
They also reunited with six of the tourists they invited into their Buffalo home more than five months ago — when a freak snowstorm in December stranded the South Korean group on their way to Niagra Falls.
Sharing a four-course meal with beef stew and chocolate éclairs in Seoul on Thursday, they recalled their time hiding away from the blizzard, The Times wrote.
The tourists and their guide had knocked on the Campagnas' door, hoping to get shovels to dig their van out of a ditch.
But seeing the severity of the storm, the New York couple instead took the group in. For the next two days, the tourists watched football and cooked meals with the Campagnas, sleeping on their couch, an air mattress, sleeping bags, and in the guest room.
The fierce weather eventually subsided on Christmas day, and drivers came to pick up the tourists.
"They endured the horrible storm with us," Andrea Campagna told The Korea Herald. "When you spend time together in a disaster situation, you feel very bonded."
Scott Park, one of the tourists, told The Herald that the Campagnas made their guests feel right at home. "After our memorable time together, I thought I should do good deeds for others too," he said.
As word spread of their generosity, the Campagnas received well-wishes on social media, cards in the mail, and gifts from Korean groups — like a year's supply of free fried chicken from a Korean barbecue franchise.