NEWSBYTES
November 2016
NO. 53
Filipino and Korean Talents Shine at the 2016 Philippines-Korea Cultural Exchange Festival In celebration of Philippine and Korean culture, Filipinos and Koreans came together once again at the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP) last October 15 for the 2016 Philippines-Korea Cultural Exchange Festival. Organized by the Embassy of Republic of Korea, Korean Cultural Center (KCC) together with United Korean Community Association in the Philippines (UKCA), National Commission for Culture and the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA), CCP and ABS-CBN Orchestra, the 2016 Philippines-Korea Cultural Exchange Festival aims to showcase performances that best reflect the vibrant culture of the two countries. The five-hour festival was composed of two parts: the Concert for Peace and the K-Pop Contest. In his welcome remarks, Kore-
an Ambassador KIM Jae-Shin said that the festival has been a “very effective way” of communicating and sharing the common value of our two countries’ culture. “I do wish to promote friendship and achieve unity between Filipinos and Koreans through “2016 Philippines-Korea Cultural Exchange Festival,” said Ambassador KIM. The Concert for Peace was opened with a powerful performances from the Serotonin Performing Arts Company and Seoul National University (SNU) Korean Music Ensemble. ABS-CBN Philharmonic Orchestra and the Metro Manila Concert Orchestra then joined the SNU Korean Music Ensemble to perform the Korean classic “Arirang,” which was conducted by Gerard Salonga. Performances of soprano Park
Min Jung and bass baritone Lee Sung Min followed. To conclude the concert, a 330-member chorus which was composed of both Filipino and Korean participants, was joined by soprano Rachelle Gerodias-Park, alto Krissan Manikan Tan, tenor Arthur Espiritu and baritone Park Byeong In in performing Beethoven’s “Ode to Joy.” The 330-chorus singing together at one stage is a significant event for both countries. This collaboration showed the stronger ties between the Filipinos and Koreans. The second part of the event was the K-Pop competition. Derrick Monasterio,
Korea’s Outstanding Products on display at ‘K-Ribbon Selection’ exhibit
In an effort to increase Korea’s culture and brand awareness, Korea’s Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, Korean Embassy and Korean Cultural Center (KCC) launched its “K-Ribbon Selection” Exhibit on November 2 at Shangri-La Mall Plaza Grand Atrium, Mandaluyong City. The products displayed at “K-Ribbon Selection” are brands recognized by the Korean government for its premium quality. The K-Ribbon Selection is also the Korean government’s flagship project to showcase the excellent cultural products that carry the cultural value of Korea. Gracing the opening of the exhibit is Korean Ambassador KIM Jae Shin together with Lee Chil-Yong, Royal Craft Culture Chairman; Mina Gabor, Chairman of the Philippine Small & Medium Business Development
Foundation, Inc. (Philsmed); and Marline Mualan, Marketing Division Manager of Shangri-la Plaza Mall. In his welcome remarks, Ambassador KIM hopes that more Filipinos will take an interest in Korean culture and products through this exhibit. He also noted that the K-Ribbon selection exhibit is a good opportunity to showcase the premium Korean products and generate sales for Korean businesses here in the country. Various Korean cultural products including cultural contents, hanbok, Korean Fashion, Korean traditional handicrafts, and Korean cuisine were on display at the exhibit. Visitors also got a chance to experience Virtual Reality (VR) presentations and computer-generated hanbok photo experience. Alongside with the K-Ribbon Selection, a ‘Royal Heritage Craft Exhibition’ was also held at the same venue. Visitors saw various Korean traditional handicrafts such as tableware, wood products, porcelain tea and stationery sets displayed at the area. Also, a ‘K-Food Open Kitchen’ is available from November 5 to 6. Several traditional Korean food products are on display in the area. Visitors can taste and enjoy Korean food such as bulgogi, samgyetang and kimchi.
singer Yohan, and idol group The King captivated the crowd with their song numbers. Tagalog and Korean Speech Contest finalists also kept the audience engaged and entertained. Three cover groups and seven singers battled it out onstage to emerge as the champion. Cover group PHP won the grand prize with their fiery dance remix number, while Anna Jean Fernandez (“You Are My Everything” by Gummy), cover group F.S.E. (dance remix), and Sofia Therise Capili (“Arirang”) bagged the first, second, and third prizes, respectively.
Korean Film Festival concludes in Manila with ‘Ode to My Father’ SM Megamall was the last stop of the 2016 Korean Film Festival. Five Korean movies unreeled at Cinema 6 of SM Megamall from October 13 to 16. Korean Movies screened were “Ode to My Father”, “Beauty inside”, “Confession of Murder”, “How to use guys with secret tips” and “The Suspect.” The festival first opened at SM City Clark Pampanga and moved to the cities of Davao, Iloilo, Cebu and Cavite
last September. The Korean Film Festival is presented by Korean Cultural Center in the Philippines (KCC) and the Embassy of the Republic of Korea in Philippines and is supported by Film Development Council of the Philippines (FDCP), the Film Cultural Exchange Program and Korean Film Council.
NOVEMBER FILM AND CONCERT SCREENINGS: Fans of Korean entertainment can enjoy various activities such as film screenings, concert screenings, and fan gatherings every Friday for FREE! Please watch out for announcements on the #FRIYAYSatKCC Special Screening events through our official website and Facebook page.
The Korean Cultural Center in the Philippines 2F Mancor Corporate Center 32nd St. Bonifacio Global City, Taguig City, 1634 (T) 02 555-1711/ (F) 02 555-1707 To SUBSCRIBE, email info@koreanculture.ph