KOREA BULLETIN The official publication of the Embassy of the Republic of Korea
FROM
THE
JULY 2017
AMBASSADOR‘S
DESK
KIM Jae-shin, Ambassador Plenipotentiary and Extraordinary
I welcome the third quarter with high hopes about the future of Korea-Philippine relations. On our home front, His Excellency Moon Jae-in was elected President of the Republic of Korea and assumed office on May 10th. Just after this, Mr. Park Won-Soon, Mayor of Seoul and first Presidential Special Envoy to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), came to the Philippines as part of President Moon’s commitment to a wider and pluralistic approach of diplomacy for cooperation. This visit is a clear indication of the Korean government’s high regard for the ASEAN and the Philippines. Interactions like these attest to the expansion of the purview and fields of cooperation between Korea and the Philippines, a relationship that dates back to the Korean War. From the 7th High-level Cross Regional Roundtable on Violence Against Children, which
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MOON Jae-In Wins Presidential Election
was suggested by the Philippines as 2017 ASEAN Chair, and supported by Korea with the ASEAN-ROK Cooperation Fund, to the arrival of the final 2 of 12 Korean FA50 fighter jets in May, our partnership has never been stronger and more diverse. This dynamic relationship has allowed our governments to complete vital infrastructure projects as scheduled, such as the Puerto Princesa Airport, which will further contribute to national development. However, for development to be truly comprehensive, there must be concomitant cultural growth. In this respect, the Korean Cultural Center has been coming out with events that familiarize Filipinos on our culture. Last May, for example, seven internationally-acclaimed documentaries from Korea were showcased in the Philippine leg of the DMZ International Documentary (DMZ Docs) Film Festival at the UP Film Institute.
This was followed a month later by the opening of the Moving Korea Exhibit, which featured 18 modern kinetic and interactive artworks of nine contemporary artists from Korea. The cultural exchange between Korea and the Philippines is certainly mutual. Even as an increasing number of Filipinos are going to Korea for leisure and education, the arrival of Korean tourists in the Philippines has remained steady at nearly 25% of the total arrivals despite the conflict in Mindanao. This bodes well for the robust tourism market which continues to be buoyed by the country’s rosy economic climate. Last but not the least, there was a significant advancement in educational cooperation between the two countries in June. The Embassy of the Republic of Korea in the Philippines and the Department of Education (DEpEd) signed an agreement that allows DepEd
to teach the Korean language in public high schools through the Special Program in Foreign Language (SPFL). With this development, Korean becomes the sixth foreign language in public high schools among those currently offered in the program (Spanish, Japanese, French, German, and Chinese). The inclusion of the Korean language in the public high school curriculum will further enhance economic cooperation as well as sociocultural exchanges between the two countries. I wish more and more young Filipinos can learn our language as much as they have embraced the Korean Wave or Hallyu. It is with these positive things in mind that I want to celebrate with my fellow Koreans and our Filipino friends the advancement of cordial relations for our mutual benefit and brighter future.
Presidential Envoy to ASEAN PARK Won-Soon visits Philippines
Korea, Philippines to boost food sector business cooperation
Ambassador KIM delivers remarks at 7th High-level Cross Regional Roundtable on Violence Against Children
Korean Embassy, DEPED sign MOU to teach Korean language in Public Schools
Korea completes delivery of FA-50PH Jets in PH
Ambassador KIM graces opening of new Puerto Princesa International Airport Terminal
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Ateneo Student Wins Annual Korean Speech Contest
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MOON Jae-In Wins Presidential Election
President MOON Jae-in greets his supporters on May 9 after he was declared the winner of the presidential election. (Photo from Yonhap News)
Presidential Envoy to ASEAN PARK Won-Soon visits Philippines
Seoul Mayor and Presidential Envoy to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) of the Republic of Korea PARK WonSoon visited the Philippines from May 21 to 23 for a series of meetings with Philippine officials. PARK paid a courtesy call to Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte on May 22 to deliver newly-elected President MOON Jae-in’s letter to the Philippine President. During the courtesy meeting, President Duterte asked to convey his congratulation on President MOON’s victory in May election. President Duterte emphasized the importance of cooperation be-
tween the two countries on the issue of North Korea’s provocation. PARK mentioned it is important to exert pressure on North Korea while pursuing diplomatic efforts in order to achieve denuclearization of North Korea. He also asked for the continuing support of the ASEAN in dealing with the North Korea issue. President Duterte also expressed his hopes to continue to strengthen the bilateral relations and economic cooperation between Korea and the Philippines. PARK said he hopes to further develop ties between the two nations in the fields of development cooperation, infrastructure, and defense industry.
Ambassador KIM Jae Shin delivered his welcoming remarks on the 7th Highlevel Cross Regional Roundtable on Violence against Children last June 6, 2017. In his speech, Ambassador KIM talked about Korea’s efforts to address the issue of violence against children. The Roundtable was opened by Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Secretary Judy Taguiwalo, Association of Southeast Asian Nations
(ASEAN) Deputy Secretary General for ASEAN SocioCultural Community (ASCC) Mr. Vongthep Arthakaivalvatee, and United Nations (UN) Special Representative of the Secretary-General (SRSG) on Violence against Children (VAC) Marta Santos Pais. Around 90 individuals consisting of ASEAN Senior Officials on social welfare and development, NGOs, and children representatives from ASEAN states shared their thoughts and experiences on violence against children.
MOON Jae-in of the Democratic Party of Korea won Korea’s 19th presidential election on May 10. According to the National Election Commission (NEC), MOON won 13,423,800 votes, 41.1 percent of the total number of votes casted. His rivals HONG Jun-Pyo from ousted President PARK GeunHye’s conservative Saenuri Party and People’s Party candidate AHN Cheol-soo
were behind with 24% and 21.4%, respectively. This is the highest “turnout gap” in the history of Korean presidential elections. MOON’s presidential term in office officially started on May 10, after the NEC confirmed the winner of the presidential election. He replaced former President PARK, who was recently impeached and ousted due to corruption and bribery scandal.
Seoul City Mayor and Presidential Envoy to ASEAN PARK Won-Soon (left) greets Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte during his courtesy call on May 22.
PARK asked for enhanced security of Korean nationals in the Philippines, and President Duterte promised their safety and emphasized that protecting Korean nationals would also be a part of the Philippines’ national interests. PARK was accompanied by Congresswoman KIM
Hyun-mee, Congressman SHIN Kyung-min from the National Assembly of the Republic of Korea, and Korean Ambassador to the Philippine KIM Jae Shin. A day earlier, he had a luncheon meeting with Secretary Alan Peter Cayetano of the Department of Foreign Affairs.
The event was organized by the Philippines, 2017 ASEAN Chair and ASEAN Secretariat as a part of ASEANRepublic of Korea (ROK) cooperation, and Korea supported the meeting with the ASEAN-ROK Cooperation
Fund. The ASEAN-ROK Cooperation Fund was established in 1990 in order to contribute to ASEAN communitybuilding and the close relationship between ROK and the ASEAN.
Ambassador KIM delivers remarks at 7th High-level Cross Regional Roundtable on Violence Against Children
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Korea completes delivery of FA-50PH Jets in PH
THE FINAL batch of FA50PH “Fighting Eagle” jets with tail numbers 011 and 012 arrived at Clark Air Base, Pampanga on May 31. The supersonic jets were delivered by pilots of Korean Aerospace Industries Ltd. (KAI) from Korea and were formally received by Philippine Air Force (PAF) Air Lo-
gistics Command head Major Gen. Arnold A. Mancita. The FA-50PHs has a top speed of Mach 1.5 or one and a half times the speed of sound and is capable of being fitted air-to-air missiles. The missiles include the AIM-9 “Sidewinder” air-to-air and heatseeking missiles aside from light automatic cannons.
Ambassador KIM graces opening of new Puerto Princesa International Airport Terminal
Department of Transportation (DOTr) Secretary Arthur Tugade, Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) Director General Capt. Jim C. Sydiongco, Ambassador KIM Jae-Shin, Palawan Governor Jose Alvarez, and Puerto Princesa City Mayor Luis Marcaida lll led the blessing of the new Puerto Princesa International airport. (Photo courtesy of http://palawan-news.com)
Korean Ambassador KIM Jae Shin, Department of Transportation (DOTr) Secretary Arthur Tugade, Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) Director General Capt. Jim C. Sydiongco,
Palawan Governor Jose Alvarez, and Puerto Princesa City Mayor Luis Marcaida III led the blessing of the new Puerto Princesa International Airport on May 3, 2017. The 4.5-billion-peso in-
FA-50PHs with tail numbers 009 and 010 arrived in the Philippines on April 26, while FA-50PHs with tail numbers 007 and 008 arrived in the country last March 29 and were commissioned into service last April 6. The first batch of supersonic jets arrived in the country on November 28, 2015. This arrival of the final batch of planes is part of the PAF’s purchase of 12 fighter jets worth P18.9 billion from ternational airport has a floor area of 13,000 sq. meters with a seating capacity of 1,500, parking slot for 200 cars and a 2,600-meter runway that can accommodate bigger aircraft like Airbus A330 and 6 parking bays. The new airport can also accommodate more than 1.9 million passengers a year. The new Puerto Princesa International Airport boasts a state of the art air navigation system that comply with international standard enhancing the airport’s safety operations (CAT-1) with an 1800 KVA standby generator set. The project was realized in 2012 when then Finance Secretary Cesar V. Purisima signed a $71.6-million loan agreement with the Export-Import Bank of Korea (Kexim) for the Puerto Princesa airport project. Under the agreement the
KAI. PAF spokesperson Col. Antonio Francisco said the FA-50PHs are very useful for the PAF as it can be used for territorial defense and pilot training which is important as they are now focusing on the “generation” of pilots capable of manning sophisticated jet fighters which the country is planning to acquire for its military modernization program. (PNA) government of Korea will provide through Kexim an official development assistance loan under Economic Development Cooperation Fund (EDCF). Ambassador KIM said that the project will open more opportunities and cooperation between Philippines and Korea. Ambassador KIM added that Koreans top the list in terms of tourist arrival in the Philippines since 2010 and also expressed hope to have a direct flight from Korean to Puerto Princesa soon. “I believe that this project serves as a model for airport development in global scale. We know that the airport greatly contribute[s] to regional and national development,” Ambassador Kim said. (Reports from CAAP-PR / PNA/http://palawan-news. com)
Korea, Philippines to boost food sector business cooperation
ASEAN-Korea Centre (AKC) and Philippine Export Marketing Bureau (EMB) recently organized the ‘Trade Facilitation Workshop for the Philippine Food MSMEs’ last May 17 to 20 at World Trade Center in Metro Manila. The Workshop aimed to enhance competitiveness of food sector MSMEs in the Philippines, thereby facilitating trade between Korea and the Philippines. A delegation, composed of members from ten Korean food companies, shared their expertise and conducted oneon-one business meetings Philippine business representatives.
KIM Young-sun, Secretary General of AKC, hopes that through this workshop the Philippine food products will have more access to Korean market. Following the ceremony, presentations by the Korean delegation on sourcing and packaging trends, importing procedures and global market access strategies were conducted. After the seminar, the Korean delegates and the Philippine MSMEs representatives had one-on-one business meetings to strengthen network for future businesses. As part of the Workshop, the delegation visited the International Food Exhibition (IFEX
Ambassador of the Philippines to Korea Raul Hernandez, Secretary General of ASEAN-Korea Centre (AKC) KIM Young-sun, Director of Export Marketing Bureau Senen M. Perlada, Ambassador KIM Jae Shin during the Trade Facilitation Workshop for the Philippine Food MSMEs. (Photo Courtesy of aseankorea.org)
Philippines), the country’s biggest international food exhibition, whereby they took part in active interactions with businessmen in the food sector from all over the world. Furthermore, the Korean business delegation
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had an opportunity to gain upto-date information on the current development of food industry in the Philippines through presentations by officials from the EMB and the Board of Investment.
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Korean Embassy, DEPED sign MOU to teach Korean language in Public Schools
Department of Education Secretary Leonor Briones (left) and Korean Ambassador KIM Jae Shin sign the memorandum of agreement for the Special Program in Foreign Language – Korean. (Photo courtesy of DEPED)
The Embassy of the Republic of Korea in the Philippines and the Department of Education (DEpEd) signed an agreement on June 21, 2017 that will allow DepEd to teach the Korean language in public high schools through the Special Program in Foreign Language (SPFL).
DepEd Secretary Leonor Briones and Korean Ambassador KIM Jae Shin led the memorandum of agreement (MOU) signing together with DepEd Undersecretary for Curriculum and Instruction Dina Ocampo and Korean Embassy First Secretary and Korean Cultural Center Director LEE Jincheol.
Ateneo Student Wins Annual Korean Speech Contest
From Left: BANG Jong Ryeol, King Sejong Language Institute and KCC instructor; KCC Director LEE Jicheol; 2nd prize winner Aubrey Ortega; grand prize winner Angeleen Lee; 3rd prize winner Precious Ann Pendon; KIM Jong Ho of the Korean International School; KTO Director PARK In Shik; and SONG Ah Reum, First Secretary of Korean Embassy.
Angeleen Lee, a third year AB Psychology student from the Ateneo de Manila University, became the latest grand prize winner of the annual Korean Speech Contest held at University of the Philippines (UP) College of Engineering Theater last April 29. The 20-year-old student bested the nine other finalists from Manila, Cebu, Davao, Iloilo, Pampanga, and Baguio, earning herself a P15, 000 cash prize, scholarship from Korean Cultural Center in the Philippines (KCC), gift certificates, and a roundtrip ticket to Korea courtesy Korea Tourism Organization (KTO). LEE started her formal Ko-
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rean language training in Ateneo and is currently taking minor classes in Korean Studies. Placing second in the competition is Aubrey Ortega of Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila, followed by Precious Ann Pendon from Iloilo City. Both won P10, 000 and P 5, 000 plus a scholarship at KCC and gift certificates, respectively. The Korean Speech Contest was organized by the KCC, United Korean Community Association (UKCA) and UP. The contest aims to promote the Korean language to Filipinos. It encourages the learners of Korean language to enhance their skills in the speaking language.
art & culture
Under the MOU, the DepEd will introduce Korean language as a second foreign language and elective through a pilot program which will be conducted starting this year in select ten high schools in Metro Manila. SPFL helps learners develop skills in listening, reading, writing, speaking, and viewing that are fundamental in acquiring communicative competence in a second foreign language. “We are very happy that finally we are having this signing of the MOA. This is not a beginning. This is a continuation of very long years of fruitful relationship, including the field of education, between Korea and the Republic of the Philippines.” Briones said. The Korean Embassy, through this program, hopes to strengthen the implementation of the Korean language in order to better respond to opportuni-
ties for local and international employment and to facilitate studies in Korea for select Filipino students. Ambassador KIM emphasized the importance cultural and educational cooperation in strengthening bilateral relationship between the two countries. “I’m very happy that Korean language is added as one of the second foreign languages. Language is very important so teaching and studying [foreign languages] in schools is very helpful to deepen the bilateral understanding between two nations,” said Ambassador KIM. In 2009, DepEd implemented the SPFL to prepare the graduates in a linguistically and culturally diverse global workspace. Among the languages currently offered in the program are Spanish, Japanese (Nihongo), French, German and Chinese (Mandarin).
Korea’s DMZ International Film Festival opens in Manila
Seven internationally-acclaimed documentaries from Korea were showcased in the Philippine leg of DMZ International Documentary (DMZ Docs) Film Festival last May 11 to 13 at University of the Philippines (UP) Film Institute. DMZ Docs Film Festival presented documentaries with various themes and styles, revolving around the development of peace, communication and life. It aimed to promote docu-
mentary films as a mean of communication. Jero Yun, director of the opening film ‘Mrs.B., a North Korean Woman,’ will grace the first day of the festival on May 11, 4PM and will hold a Director’s talk with the audience. Other films screened were My Love Don’t Cross that River, Planet of Snail, The Emotional Society on Stage, Red Maria, Summer Days in Bloom, and Troublers.
EIGHTEEN art installations and interactive media art from Korea were opened to the public last June 8 at Korean Cultural Center’s (KCC) ‘Moving Korea’ Exhibit. The exhibit opened with a short artist’s talk of NA Hyoungmin and performances by KCC’s Musical Class Team. NA Hyoung-min studied Oriental Painting in Seoul National University where he also earned his Master’s Degree. He is currently serving as a professor in College of Fine Arts at Kyung Hee University. His works “The Winter Poetry,” “The Moon,” and “The Ring around the Moon” were inspired
by Daeboreum or the First Full Moon Holiday in Korea. Through moving objects, from where the ‘MOVING KOREA’ exhibition takes its name, spectators are given an idea of how interactive media art communicates. The artworks allow visitors to wander through various displayed artworks and be part of the process of creating art. The ‘Moving Korea’ exhibition will run until July 14, 2017 at the Korean Cultural Center Exhibition Hall. Admission is Free. For more information, contact (02) 555-1711 or email curator@koreanculture.ph
Interactive Art Exhibit opens at KCC
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