Dear______________________

Hello. I located your organization from the internet,
which came up as one of the top travel & tour related organizations in your country.

Let me introduce myself to you. I am a member of VANK (Voluntary Agency Network of Korea) from Korea. We are cyber travel guides who help foreigners understand Korean culture, language, life, etc., better through e-mail or postal mail, and as well as provide overseas travel companies with Korean travel guidebooks through post or internet free of charge. The travel guidebooks provide a wide range of practical information about traveling in Korea. They also offer great tips on accommodations, shopping, transportation, food, and Korean maps.

All of VANK's members, ranging from elementary school first graders to housewives, are participating in voluntary activities that aim at introducing Korea to other countries, and enhancing a favorable image of Korea through pen pals and e-pals. I think VANK is a great opportunity for foreigners who are interested in Korean culture, language, literature, and history - or for those who just want to get information on sightseeing, tours, and attractions in Korea.

If there is anyone interested in Korea in your organization, please recommend us to them. We can be cyber travel guides for them so that they may understand Korea better, and also build lasting international friendships. We would be very appreciative if you would consider visiting and linking VANK's website (http://www.prkorea.org) with your website for promoting good relations.

In addition, we can provide you with the latest Korean tour & travel information with new photos free of charge. If you are interested in receiving the latest Korean tour information, please contact us.

Just for your reference, tour2korea.com, the official website of the Korea National Tourism Organization, has included VANK activities for you to view. We look forward to having the opportunity to work with you. Thank you for your kind consideration and cooperation.

Sincerely,
VANK (Voluntary Agency Network of Korea)
http://www.prkorea.org




Contact VANK

C&G Bldg. 201, 425-17 Sindang 2-dong Jung-gu, Seoul, 100-834, S.KOREA
TEL. 82-2-2237-7407 FAX. 82-2-2237-7409 Email. times@prkorea.org http://www.prkorea.org

VANK stands for 'Voluntary Agency Network of Korea', a civilian international exchange association in Korea. We promote Korea's image all over the world through the Internet. VANK was established in 1999 by volunteers, and now has over 15,000 members. Using e-mail or internet we serve as cyber travel guides to overseas Koreans and foreigners so that they can understand Korean culture and language better, and at the same time we hope to build international friendships. VANK is a great chance for those who are interested in Korean language, arts, cultural education, history, geography, social studies, and sciences to learn about our country. We also welcome anyone with open arms who wants to make Korean friends!

References

01 As the best Korean travel website, Tour2Korea.com, the official website of the Korea National Tourism Organization, offers the most up-to-date and useful information for people traveling and living in Korea. The site is operated in eight different languages- English, Japanese, Chinese (Complex and Simplified), French, German, Russian, and Spanish.
Tour2Korea.com (http://www.tour2korea.com)

02 'Cyber Diplomats' Win Presidential Award

The Voluntary Agency Network of Korea (VANK), a civilian group trying to promote Korea abroad, will receive a presidential award for its work on Friday. The Government Information Agency said on Thursday that VANK will be given a prize due to its many endeavors such as correcting misinformation about Korea on the Internet.

Last year, the group convinced the National Geographic, Graphic Maps, and other major international map companies to use both 'East Sea' and the 'Sea of Japan' in their publications," the agency said. A civilian group that has approximately11,800 members, VANK also promotes exchanges between Koreans and foreigners through its work online since its founding in 1999. Its homepage is at : www.prkorea.org". (January 9, 2003)
- The Korea Times

03 VANK provides pictures of Korea to Photoatlas.com.
You can see the pictures on the following website
http://photoatlas.com/pics/pictures_of_korea.html