24 year old girl from Istanbul, Turkey talks about her love of Korea

The "Talk! Talk! Korea 2015" contest run by the Korean Culture and Information Service (KOCIS) recently spoke to the winners of the contest and gathered their thoughts and feelings on all things related to Korea and its culture.

The eight winners, who submitted entries in one of the six categories, flew into Korea on October 19 as part of their grand prize and were able to see and experience first-hand the daily life in Korea and the people on the streets.

On October 21, Korea.net and the eight contest winners went on a three-day trip to Busan and they were able to talk with them one on one on their stories of how they fell in love with Korea.

* Kubra Rendecioglu, 24-year-old winner from Istanbul, Turkey (Hanbok designer)

Kubra Rendecioglu, winner from Turkey, was asked, "How did you come across Korean things for the first time?" to which she replied, "I stumbled across the famous soap opera 'Daejanggeum' and fell in love at first sight with the traditional Hanbok worn by the cast. I currently study Hanbok clothing and create my own Hanbok designs. It's really fun. I wear my own designs back home and every time I walk around, all sorts of curious eyes focus on me and my clothes. I've heard many people say, 'It's beautiful.' This year alone, I've even hosted Hanbok fashion shows twice in my hometown of Istanbul. I've gotten a lot of rave reviews and people really loved them."

She also told the interviewer that the reason why she stuck with Korean traditions over others was because of how she felt when designing hanboks. She said, "I just feel happy when I design Hanbok. My dream job is to become a professional Hanbok designer. I also really want to live in this country. This is my second time to visit Korea. I came here last February and luckily met a wonderful Hanbok designer who helped me hold such fashion shows back in Istanbul. I really appreciate that. Now that I'm in Korea again, my feelings for the country and my desire to live here are stronger than ever."

To read more on what Kubra had to say about Korea as well as comments from more winners from the contest, check out Korea.net's official site here!

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