A group of Russian bloggers, who have been passionate about posting Korea and Korean culture on their blog for years, were recently lucky enough to gain hands-on cultural experience in Seoul.

Sponsored by Korean Air, the Korean national flag carrier, and Seoul Metropolitan Government, 11 bloggers from St. Petersburg visited Seoul between October 2 and 9. Dubbed the ‘Russian On-Air Program,’ it is a global corporate social responsibility project of the airliner, aimed at supporting organizations or people overseas to promote Korean culture. 

During their stay, the Russians enjoyed a wide variety of cultural experiences. They learned how to make Kimchi, watched Korean musical ‘Miso,’ and experienced Seoul’s advanced transportation system by riding on an eco-friendly electric bus run on Mt. Namsan. They also visited popular tourist attractions including Gyeongbok Palace, Bukchon Hanok Village and Seoul N Tower.

“I am so excited about having a variety of hands-on experiences about Korean people and culture,’’ Ekaterina Ni said. As a half Korean whose mom is Korean, visiting the country has always been high on her wish list.

And 20-year-old Margarita Girina, the youngest among invitees, was happy to listen to K-pop music on the street.

“I am a big fan of Super Junior,” she said. She added popularity of Korean culture ranging from music to drama to film is picking up in Russia as in other regions.

According to Seoul officials, the Russian bloggers’ exploration of Seoul will be aired in Russia through RTR, Russia’s leading broadcaster and content provider, at the end of October this year. For this, two RTR reporters also visited Seoul with the bloggers, filming their daily activities. “It will be the first documentary type program to cover Seoul City and Korean culture in Russia,” Dmitry Troshin from RTR said, adding his hope that the program would help Russian people to understand Seoul City and Korea better.

By Lee Woo-young (wylee@heraldcorp.com)