American couple who took in Korean travelers during snowstorm visit Korea

Alexander Campagna, right, and his wife, Andrea, hold a press conference at a restaurant in Seoul, Sunday. Courtesy of Korea Tourism Organization

By Lee Hae-rin

Alexander Campagna, a 41-year-old dentist based in Buffalo, New York, still vividly remembers hearing the knock on his door amid intense snowfall around 2 p.m., Dec. 23, 2022. "Who could be outside right now? Everyone should already be inside, safely," he thought.

Yet, at his door, he found two Korean strangers in soaked clothes in the snowstorm. Park Gun-yong, 55, and his tour guide reached the closest house they could find and asked for shovels in order to dig out their van from the heavy snow. Along with eight other Korean tourists, they were stranded on their way to Niagara Falls amid the deadly blizzard.

"I said, 'Sure, of course,' but immediately realized there was no point in using a shovel," he said during an interview with reporters in Seoul, Sunday. Campagna and his wife, both of whom are lifelong residents of Buffalo, deemed the idea of shoveling one's way out ― in one of the worst storms they've seen ― like "using a spoon to take out water from an ocean."

So the couple invited the 10 stranded Koreans into their house and made hot tea and coffee and provided them with warm socks and blankets to make everybody safe and comfortable. It was the start of a Christmas the 12 will never forget.

The catastrophic blizzard lasted for four days in the region and left almost 40 dead. Most residents were trapped in their houses, some with power outages, due to a rare and deadly combination of 1.32 meters of snow and hurricane-level winds.
The American couple and the Korean group grew a special bond while enduring the disaster together, but both parties noted another special connection that made them feel they were "meant to be," ― their common love for Korean cuisine.

Alexander Campagna, left, shares Korean meals with the Korean travelers he and his wife Andrea sheltered during the deadly blizzard at his house in Buffalo, N.Y., Dec. 24, 2022. Courtesy of Alexander Campagna

"I've enjoyed Korean cuisine for over 20 years," Andrea said, adding that the couple had their first date at a Korean restaurant in town named Woo Chan Korea House back in August 2016. They also cook Korean food at home occasionally because they often watch an English-language YouTube cooking channel that features Korean dishes.

"I got the impression that for the first couple hours, our guests thought they'll have tea and leave. But it was impossible to get anywhere in that weather, and it was going to be time for dinner soon," Alex said. To make the strangers feel at home, the couple showed them their refrigerator and pantry, which was filled with Korean condiments, which immediately sparked excitement in the room.

Park said in disbelief that they were surprised to see the American couple had Korean soy sauce, mirin, chili powder, chili paste and everything they needed to cook Korean food at the house.

"They even had a rice cooker and a book of Korean recipes, as if they had prepared it all for us," he said.

The Campagnas "literally opened the refrigerator" for the Koreans and told them to feel free to use all the ingredients they needed, Park said. In appreciation of the hospitality shown, his wife and some other natural-born cooks in the group made feasts of Korean food for the host couple, spicy chicken stew and spicy marinated pork, recreating the dinner form their first date.

Korean visitors prepare Korean feasts featuring spicy chicken stew at the Campagnas' house in Buffalo, Dec. 23, 2022. Courtesy of Alexander Campagna

The group spent two nights and three days with the Campagnas while the massive winter storm blanketed the city, not knowing when they will be rescued. When help finally came at around noon on Christmas day, "everybody was cheering and hugging," in joy, Andrea recalled.

The good deeds of the Campagnas, which they did "without expecting anything at all," spread quickly across the globe upon the reports of the local media, such as the New York Times and CNN. Their mailbox and social media were soon filled with thank you notes and positive wishes, while Korean companies and organizations presented them with gifts, including the Korean fried chicken franchise, Genesis BBQ, who gave them one year of free chicken.

The couple believes their story resonated with people across the globe because "with so much sadness, pain and loss, the world was hungry for heart-warming stories," Andrea said.

The Campagnas were life savers on that day for the 10 Koreans, but the American couple was simply happy to do their part, citing Buffalo as a "city of good neighbors," who help strangers and neighbors in dangerous situations.

KTO President Kim Jang-sil, center, Alexander and Andrea Campagna, front row second from left, respectively, pose with Korean travelers the American couple sheltered at a restaurant in Seoul during their reunion arranged by the KTO, Sunday. Courtesy of Korea Tourism Organization

In appreciation, the Korea Tourism Organization (KTO) invited the Campagnas to Korea in January, which the couple found an "unbelievable honor and blessing." The couple arrived in Korea last Saturday and will travel for ten days.

KTO President Kim Jang-sil said the group hopes the couple experiences not only the beautiful nature, rich culture and history that the country has to offer, but the "warm-hearted Korean people and their kindness during the visit." It is the first time the KTO invited foreign civilians due to this kind of reason, he said.

The couple and the Korean travelers who survived the ordeal will also make an appearance in a KTO tourism promotion video titled "Korea Never Forgets," which aims to encourage foreign travelers to visit the country once it goes on air later this year.

On Sunday, the Campagnas and six of the Koreans, including Park, met again in Seoul. The couple was overjoyed to see their friends are well and happy in their home country, and appreciated the "happy ending to our story, which could have been very different, given the circumstances with the bad snowstorm," Andrea said.

Park said the others in the group also found the reunion overwhelming, especially because they never expected to see the Campagnas again. "After our memorable time together, I feel I should do good deeds for others, too," Park said, expressing appreciation to the KTO for arranging the occasion.

"We hope our story inspires people all around the world to be accepting of their neighbors and strangers and people in need," Alex said.