By Korea.net Honorary Reporter Majid Mushtaq from Pakistan

Just one thing runs faster in Korea than the bullet train KTX: time. I came to Korea three years ago and I can’t believe my time has flown so fast in this beautiful country. Initially I came here as a student but ended up loving it so much that I consider Korea my second homeland. These past few years have undoubtedly given me unforgettable memories that will stay with me forever. But 2018 has stood out as the most memorable and colorful year of my Korean adventure.

Every day in Korea has been extremely fun for me because of the vibrant city life, kind and welcoming people, delicious food and convenient transportation; in 2018, however, several events that happened made me love Korea more than ever. The following are my top unforgettable memories of Korea this year.

Appointed Korea.net Honorary Reporter (January 2018)

Korea.net has been a platform through which I share my love for Korean culture. Serving as a Korea.net Honorary Reporter for the past three years is an honor I will cherish for life. And I will always work hard and do my best to spread love and build cultural bridges between Korea and other countries.

2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics

When news broke that the national teams of both Koreas would march under the same flag, I jumped for joy and so did most people on the Korean Peninsula. I was also lucky to tour Pyeongchang-gun County and the venues of Olympic events there.

During the PyeongChang Olympics, both Korean delegations held one flag in showing history in the making to the world. Moreover, the tournament proved to be the most successful Winter Olympics in history and both the Korean economy and tourism saw a big boost as a result.





Inter-Korean Summit in April

A new chapter in global peace was written when the leaders of South and North Korea held a summit at the Joint Security Area on the South’s side of the inter-Korean border. I watched the event live on Facebook from start to finish, with tears rolling down my eyes when I saw this historic moment. I’m proud to have lived in South Korea when the North’s leader visited the South for the first time since the 1950-1953 Korean War.

Inter-Korean Summit in September

Another great event was the following inter-Korean summit in September, but the venue this time was Pyeongyang. South Korean President Moon Jae-in, first lady Kim Jung-sook and other officials of his administration went to North Korea. They won the hearts of not only South Koreans but admiration from everyone worldwide. This summit was successful in that North Korea agreed to denuclearization, dismantlement of guard posts and removal of landmines in the DMZ area.

President Moon was even nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts.

My family’s visit to South Korea

As a foreign student in Seoul, I harbored a dream to see my family attend my graduation ceremony. I’d always wanted to invite them to Korea and show them how beautiful this country is. In addition, their dream was also to visit Korea. So imagine my joy when they visited me in Korea and attended my graduation ceremony at Hankuk University of Foreign Studies.

During their three-week stay, my family visited Seoul, Daegu and Busan, tried a wide variety of Korean foods (their favorite was the spicy stir-fried chicken Dakgalbi topped with cheese, which also is my favorite), and fell in love with the country like I did.



BTS named Favorite Social Artist Award at 2018 AMAs

This was definitely a moment that made the legions of K-pop fans cry for joy. BTS became the first Korean music act to win the honor of Favorite Social Artist at the 2018 American Music Awards, beating out Cardi B, Ariana Grande, Demi Lovato and Shawn Mendes.

All these events this year have given me a humongous amount of happiness that make me want to travel back in time and experience them over and over again. 2018 is about to end, and I really hope that 2019 and beyond will provide even more fond memories for everyone. Moreover, I wish for Korea to progress and prosper by leaps and bounds in the coming years.

wisdom117@korea.kr

* This article is written by a Korea.net Honorary Reporter. Our group of Honorary Reporters are from all around the world, and they share with Korea.net their love and passion for all things Korean.