The Korea Heritage Service announced on the 9th that Kuvvet Ayse, a Turkish national, has become the first foreigner to complete the 'National Heritage Visitor Passport Tour.'
This is the first time a foreigner has visited all 76 major national heritage sites in Korea, including Changdeok Palace in Seoul and Naksansa Temple in Yangyang. The Visitor Passport Tour is a program aimed at promoting the value and beauty of national heritage.
After touring the 76 national heritage sites across the country with a 'Visitor Passport' that resembles a real passport, completing it by getting stamps at each location earns participants a souvenir.
Since its launch in May 2023, approximately 260,000 Visitor Passports have been issued, and the total number of participants who visited all 76 national heritage sites has reached 396, including Ayse.
Ayse began her journey on April 2 of this year at Suwon Hwaseong and completed the course in about two months.
He has a keen interest in Korean culture and reportedly studied Korean in Turkey.
Ayse said, "I continued my travels, captivated by the beauty of Korea's national heritage, and I hope its value will be known to more people in the future."
The Korea Heritage Service plans to award a certificate on the 10th to commemorate the birth of its first foreign completionist.