She said both her parents and she herself were born in Bangladesh, but they immigrated to New York. As I felt back when I used to live in Singapore, people all over the globe want their children to live in a better environment. That is why they migrate to developed countries whenever circumstances allow. This college student also left her homeland and lives in New York.

I shared roasted sweet potatoes with Bangladeshi international students in Korea. She came in looking for halal Korean food, but felt disappointed to find out that it hadn't opened yet. We let her have some of the oven-roasted chicken, roasted sweet potatoes, and roasted potatoes that we had made for ourselves. Of course, we didn't charge her anything. She said she would soon go up to Seoul and then head back to New York.

"Korea, which I visited for the first time, was so impressive and wonderful," she promised, "I will come back to Seoul next year and also visit Busan." She took my WhatsApp phone number and even sent me photos and a long message. I want to play a role in making young people around the world love Korea. I have been striving for this for 26 years, and I am glad to see tangible results.

[ⓒ Global Economic Times. 무단전재-재배포 금지]