KOREA BULLETIN The official publication of the Embassy of the Republic of Korea
FROM
THE
APRIL 2019
AMBASSADOR‘S
DESK
HAN Dong-man, Ambassador Plenipotentiary and Extraordinary
On 3 March 2019, we reached another milestone in Korea-Philippine relations. The date marked the 70th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between our two countries. The Philippines was the fifth state and the first ASEAN country to recognize the Republic of Korea as a sovereign state. The Philippines was also the first Asian country to send troops to Korea during the Korean War. Out of the 7,420 members of the Philippine Expeditionary Force to Korea (PEFTOK) who fought in Korea from 1950-1955, 112 perished, 313 were wounded, and many returned home as heroes, one of whom – Fidel V. Ramos – became President of the Philippines. The noble sacrifice of these brave Filipinos is something that Koreans will never forget. Since that time, we have enjoyed a unique relationship built on friendship and mutual cooperation. As a result, Korea is now the 4th largest trading partner of the Philippines. Bilateral trade in 2018 was US$15.6 billion (up by 9.3% from 2017). According to the
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Department of Foreign Affairs, there were around 70,085 Filipinos living in South Korea as of May 2018. On the other hand, at least 100,000 Koreans reside in the Philippines, while 1.6 million Korean tourists visited the Philippines in 2018. In the meantime, we are holding many events this year that are intended to celebrate 70 years of partnership: concerts; travel and tourism fairs; art and food shows; an infrastructure forum and a job fair; a film and a taekwondo festival; cultural exchanges; events to commemorate the Korean War; a Public Diplomacy Dialogue; and a Friendship Parade. The 2019 K-Pop Friendship Concert in Manila was attended by thousands of K-Pop and Korean culture fans at the SM Mall of Asia Arena last 7 March. The concert was perceived to be a fine approach to living in the modern world, one of many different ways to understand the culture of other countries. On 25 June, there will also be a Korean War Memorial Peace Concert, to be held at the Cultural Center of the Philippines. It will feature the Phil-
ippine Philharmonic Orchestra and the Seocho Philharmoniker under the baton of maestro Jong-hoon Bae. The concert is meant to honor the soldiers who gave up their lives during the Korean War. Though founded on the blood sacrifice of noble men, the concert will be a truly magical celebration of friendship and peace. It is worth mentioning that the Friendship Parade scheduled on 2 June has the apt theme “March Together to the Next 70 Years” because it demonstrates the wonderful friendship that the Korean and Filipino nation and people have shared in the past 70 years. Aside from the parade, there will be a Philippine traditional dance performance, a taekwondo exhibition, and a performance of pungmul nori, the Korean traditional folk music that includes, dancing, singing, and drumming. Providentially, the parade will start and end at the historic Quirino Grandstand, named after Elpidio Quirino, the President of the Philippines who ordered the deployment of Filipinos to fight under the United Nations flag during the Korean
War. I firmly believe that we need to keep enhancing our mutual understanding in order to enrich our countries’ relationship in the next 70 years. President Rodrigo Duterte and President Moon Jae-in have agreed to designate the year 2019 as the year of mutual exchange. The House of Representative of the Philippines mirrored this sentiment in a resolution passed last February. For my part, I hope that there will be many opportunities for us to experience each other’s culture this year that will further strengthen this relationship. Based on what we have achieved in the past seven decades, I am optimistic that our countries’ friendship will indeed flourish in the coming years. It is my hope that in the next 70 years, relations between Korea and the Philippines will remain as warm and sunny as the summer days in this tropical paradise that I have come to regard as my home away from home.
Officials of the Korean National Assembly visit Angat Dam
PH House of Representatives Declare 2019 as “PH and ROK Year of Mutual Exchange”
PH House of Representatives Cites President Moon’s Peace Efforts
Araw Contingent veterans society visits the Philippines on the 5th anniversary of dispatch
Korean firm to Build P 11-B Iloilo Mega Dam
KOREA BULLETIN
Mabuhay tayong lahat!
2019 K-pop Friendship Concert in Manila Formally Opens “Year of Mutual Exchange”
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