South Korea invites former Peace Corps volunteers

SEOUL, June 29 (Yonhap) -- South Korea has invited a group of former Peace Corps
members who volunteered in the country to make a return visit next month as part
of an effort to strengthen "people-to-people" diplomacy, officials here said
Monday.
The foreign ministry said 57 former volunteers and their families will arrive on
Sunday for a week-long visit. The volunteers, most of whom taught English or
provided vocational training, will visit the regions where they served as Peace
Corp members.
The Peace Corps, established in 1961, is a U.S. program that sends Americans to
developing countries around the world on outreach work for a two-year sojourn.
Some 2,000 Peace Corp members served in South Korea between 1996 and 1981. They
have maintained a social gathering, called Friends of Korea, to promote Korea and
its culture throughout the U.S.
The government said it will invite former U.S. volunteers twice a year for the
next five years.
South Korea recently launched a program similar to the Peace Corps, called World
Friends Korea, and plans to send some 3,000 volunteers abroad every year.
odissy@yna.co.kr
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