July 2014

KOREA BULLETIN

July 2014

The official publication of the Embassy of the Republic of Korea

FROM

THE

AMBASSADOR‘S

DESK

LEE Hyuk, Ambassador Plenipotentiary and Extraordinary

I am happy to say that this period has been uneventful, at least compared to the previous quarter and despite the recent typhoon Glenda with its gale-force winds.

The only bothersome development was the abduction and killing of 21-year old LEE JI WON, who was here on a study visit. Her case was one of the matters discussed during the Quarterly Joint Consultative Meeting between the Embassy of the Republic of Korea and the pertinent law enforcement agencies of the Philippines last May 30. As I said in that meeting, the escalation in the number of killings is very disturbing, in spite of the fact that the Philippine government has been working hard to curb criminality. I just hope that the peace and order situation will improve, especially for the benefit of Koreans who visit the Philippines.

On a lighter note, we saw last June 27 the launching of the Facility Based DetecTB Intensified Case Finding at the Ospital ng Palawan, Puerto Princesa City. It was an extension of a project that began in 2011 under the aegis of the Korea Foundation for International Healthcare. With Phase 2 of the project in high gear, the early detection of TB should contribute toward improving general healthcare in the city and other project sites.

Earlier, the Ateneo Initiative for Korean Studies paid homage to the growing popularity of Hallyu by hosting a Conference on Korean Studies. It was the perfect

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Korea to decomission corvette for PHL navy

venue for discovering the factors that play a part in the emergent interest in Korean culture. It is a discovery that is being assisted in many ways by the Korean Cultural Center (KCC) in the Philippines, which also recently celebrated its third anniversary.

The KCC has been particularly busy in this period with such activities as the Philippine-Korean Contemporary Art Exchange last May, and, in June, the Quiz on Korea (which was patterned after the Korean variety show Golden Bell Quiz), as well as the Global Taste of Korea Contest, which recognized the rising prominence of Korean cuisine in the Philippine market.

Finally, before July came to an end, the Solid Waste Management Technology Expo was held at the SMX Convention Center, which, among other things, showcased the capacity of Korean pioneers to convert solid waste into reusable energy. This event acknowledged the contribution of excessive garbage to global warming and raised awareness of the environmental impact of increased human activity, especially in the megacities. With the population of the Philippines breaching the 100 million mark, transforming the mountains of rubbish into electricity may just be the best thing that will ever materialize from an ever-expanding megacity.

I am very proud that Korean technology will be at its core.

PHL, Korea hold fifth policy consultation

Quiz on Korea, Global Taste on Korea held

Center for Tuberculosis in Palawan inaugurated

KCC is looking for the 2014 Pinoy K-POP Star!

KCC to launch exhibit on Korean Traditional Knots

Ateneo hosts Hallyu Conference

KOREA BULLETIN

Korean troops in Tacloban feted

Korean Development Bank reopens in PH 1

PHL, Korea hold fifth policy consultation

With the deepening relations between Korea and the Philippines, the two countries recently concluded the fifth policy consultation held last May 27 at the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) between First Vice Foreign Minister CHO Tae-yong and DFA Undersecretary for Policy Evan Garcia.

The two parties discussed bilateral issues pertaining on cooperation in, defense industry, economy, culture and the security of the people of both countries.

First Vice-Minister CHO noted that the increased cooperation between the Philippines and Korea was spurred

by President Aquino’s state visit in 2013, with the area of defense significantly strengthened through the purchase of 12 Korean light fighters FA-50 in March.

With the purchase, Usec.

Garcia said that the country is hoping that the defense cooperation between the two countries will continue to develop both on the bilateral and multilateral level, based on a memorandum of understanding signed during the ROK-Philippines summit in 2013.

Korea is also hoping that cooperation on the economic front will be extensive, with First Vice-Minister CHO requesting that more Korean companies

will be allowed to participate in the Philippines’ projects.

First Vice-Minister CHO also stressed that more Koreans will make more investments in the Philippines because of its economic performance and successive credit ratings upgrades, but that efforts should be made to improve the country’s investment-related system which could prove to be beneficial to the Korean businessmen.

Security of the people is also a source of concern for Korean nationals in the Philippines, following the recent abduction and killing of a Korea student. With 1.57 million Korean tourists in the Philippines for 2013, Korea has requested

for the Philippines’ close cooperation in terms of ensuring the safety of Korean nationals in the Philippines.

For his part, Undersecretary Garcia promised active support in ensuring the safety of Koreans in the Philippines, and requesting Korea for support towards the Filipino workers in Korea under the Employment Permit System (EPS), and marriage-based immigration to Korea.

First Vice-Minister CHO said that the ASEAN-ROK Commemorative Summit will be held in Korea this December “to celebrate the 25th anniversary of dialogue relations between ROK and ASEAN.”

Korea to decommission corvette for PHL navy The Republic of Korea will be donating a decomissioned Pohang-class corvette to the Philippines before the year ends, as a response to the efforts of the Philippines to strengthen its defense capabilities.

This was announced during the official visit of Philippine Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin to then-Minister of Defense KIM Kwan-jin last May 30.

Minister KIM, who is now President PARK Geun-hye’s National Security Adviser, said that the donation is a token for the help of the Philippines during the Korean War. The announcement of the donation comes at the heels of Korea’s previous donation of a landing craft utility and 16 rub-

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ber boats last June, as well as the acquisition 12 FA-50 fighter jets from Korea last March.

Korea’s Pohang-class corvette is a general purpose vessel that has served during the Cold War. The corvette has been in service since 1984, of which 21 are still active.

FA-50 deal signed The Philippine government has acquired 12 FA-50 fighter jets from the Korea Aerospace Industries in a move to modernize the Armed Forces of the Philippines.

The negotiations concluded in a contract signing for the P18.9 billion sales agreement between the Korea Aerospace Industries

Former Defense Minister of the Republic of Korea KIM Kwan-jin met his Philippine counterpart, Secretary Voltaire Gazmin, last May 30 to discuss defense cooperation.

Ltd., CEO HA Sung-yong, Korea Trade Investment Promotion Agency (KOTRA) President YOUNG Ho-oh and former AFP Chief of Staff General Emmanuel Bautista last March 28 at Camp Aguinaldo.

KOREA BULLETIN

In President Benigno Aquino III’s State of the Nation Address, he mentioned that the two of the 12 will arrive next year and that the remaining 10 will be arriving in the Philippines over the next three years.

art & culture

KCC to launch exhibit on Korean Traditional Knots

The Korean Cultural Center in the Philippines (KCC) will be launching the maedeup (Korean Traditional Knots) exhibit on August 8 in the hope that this special exhibit will provide awareness among the Filipinos and appreciation of the Korean Traditional Art of knots.

Entitled “A Thousand Years: The Story of Knots,” the exhibit will be featuring Korea’s well-loved traditional knot art which is known for its intricate and complex de-

Quiz on Korea, Taste of Korea tests Filipinos’ knowledge of Korean Culture

signs. Originally developed out of need to survive by the early Korean settlers, the maedeup eventually developed into a distinct decorative art that has become an important part of the country’s history. Throughout the thousand years of history, maedeup has generated countless uses for fashion and household items, even articles used for rituals and the military.

The exhibit is free and open to the public. It will run until September 30.

KCC is looking for the next Pinoy K-Pop Star

The Korean Cultural Center in the Philippines is looking for talented Filipino singers and dancers to compete in the 2014 K-Pop Star on August 23.

The event is comprised of two separate competition from Korea, namely the 2014 KPOP

World Festival in Changwon, as well as the 2014 KPOP Festival in Incheon.

KCC is inviting singers and cover dance groups, with applicants and members aged 18 and above to submit their audition videos to KCC (for the singing

A back-to-back competition that highlighted and tested the knowledge of the Filipinos on Korean culture were held on separate occasions last June.

included questions about traditional culture, the Korean Wave, and some basic facts about the country which were phrased in Korean.

2014 Quiz on Korea Avid K-Drama fan Dianne Young will be competing in Seoul this September for global round of the 2014 Quiz on Korea, following her victory in the Philippine leg last June 6, besting some 50-plus contenders.

Young won US$1,000 on top of her all-expense paid trip to Korea in September.

The 2014 Quiz on Korea is aimed at testing the knowledge of Korean culture enthusiasts onstage, wherein the winner will be up against representatives from around the globe.

The contest, patterned after Korea’s Golden Bell Quiz,

2014 Taste of Korea With his fusion version of the Korean summer favorite samgyetang winning over the judges, Marc Justin Tee will be competing in Korea this coming September after besting 26 competitors in the Philippine leg of the first Taste of Korea competition held last June 27 at the Lyceum Culinary Institute in Manila.

The 2014 Taste of Korea is a Korean cooking competition held by the Korean Cultural Center that tested the Filipinos on Korean cuisine. The entries varied from traditionally-done to fusion dishes.

category) and KPOP Festival’s official website (Cover Dance Group category) August 10.

Announcement of the finalists will be made on August 12.

The winner will get a chance to compete in Korea together with the KPOP groups.

In 2011, Karla Carreon won the first-ever K-Pop World Competition, both the Philippine and the Global leg.

In 2012, the cover dance group Boys on Fire placed fourth in the KPOP Dance Cover Contest held in Korea.

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Korean troops in Tacloban feted The 300-strong Korean contingent in the province of Leyte was honored by the Department of Defense, led by Secetary Voltaire Gazmin, last June 10 for their support and aid in the rehabilitation of the province damaged by typhoon Yolanda.

The Bakas Parangal Award, given by the National Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council (NDRRMC), was presented to Korean Joint Support Group Araw Force Contingent Commander Col. LEE Chulwon.

Secretary Gazmin ex-

pressed his gratitude towards the Korean government for their immediate aid to the Philippines following the onslaught of typhoon Yolanda in Visayas.

For his part, Ambassador LEE Hyuk stressed the significance of nations and its people helping each other, noting that the Araw contingent has forged long-lasting friendships with Filipino soliders during their stay in the Philippines.

“Your hard work and willingness to serve over the past six months certainly had a positive impact on the lives of the people who were affected

Center for TB inaugurated in Palawan In an effort to effectively diagnose tuberculosis in the province of Palawan, the second phase of the DetecTB / Diagnostic Enhanced Tools for Extra Cases of Tuberculosis, as well as the Digital Radiography Facilities were launched last June 27 at the Ospital ng Palawan.

The project is a joint effort of Korean Foundation for International Healthcare (KOFIH), the Department of Health and the World Health Organization.

Upon the end of the first phase, a mobile DetecTB

bus was given to the hospital equipped with the necessary articles for diagnostics such as digital X-Ray and a generator set.

The inauguration was led

by Ambassador LEE Hyuk; KOFIH Secretary General Dr. SIR Won-seok, as well as Palawan Provincial Administrator Atty. Joshua Bolusa to represent Governor Jose Alvarez, Puerto Princesa Mayor Lucilo Bayron, DOH Assistant Regional Director Dr. Faith Alberto and WHO medical officer for Region IV-B Dr. LEW Woojin.

by the destruction of Typhoon Yolanda.” Ambassador LEE said in his speech.

Present during the awarding ceremony were Sec. Voltaire Gazmin of the Defense Department, Ambassador LEE Hyuk, Leyte Governor Dominico Leopoldo Petilla, NDRRMC Executive Director Alexander Pama, AFP Central Command Chief Major General John Bonafos and 8th Infantry Division Commander Jet Velarmino.

In May, the Ministry of Defense of Korea reported that the Araw unit has “completed restoration work for 20 public facilities,” including the teacher training center, educational training center and two dorms.

It was also reported that both the Araw unit and the Philippines employed 2,856 people and spent KRW 84 million--the largest construction project that the unit has carried out so far.

The members of the Araw unit has also worked on road wreckage removal, sewer maintenance and clearance of telephone poles, as well as taking art on resident-focused activities such as comprehensive medical support, Korean language education for the locals and heavy-machine vocational schools.

The Araw unit is to stay in the province of Leyte until December 2014, following a year of rehabilitation efforts.

Ateneo hosts Hallyu conference The Ateneo Initiative for Korean Studies (AIKS), in cooperation with the Ateneo Department of Communication and the World Association for Hallyu Studies (WAHS), held the “2014 AIKS Conference on Hallyu” with the theme “The Hallyu Mosaic in the Philippines: Framing Perceptions and Praxis” last June 19.

In its rationale, the conference “seeks to treat and present Hallyu as a legitimate part of Korean Studies, in contrast to orientations that dichotomize the two or frame Korea “be-

yond” Hallyu.” This is rooted on the idea that “Hallyu merits legitimate interdisciplinary investigation, analysis and discussion” as manifested in its influence in the Filipino psyche.

Attending the event were Ambassador LEE Hyuk and WAHS Director for General Affairs Dr. OH In Gyu. Foreign delegates also presented their papers for the last panel, which included Dr. Mary Jane Ainslie of University of Nottingham of Malaysia and Phan Thanh Thanh of Chiang Mai University in Thailand.

formation. The KDB is also in Manila to promote its financial products and services from its headquarters and overseas network.

The opening event was attended by RYU Heui-kyoung,

vice-chairman and CEO of KDB Headquarters; Ambassador LEE Hyuk; Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas Deputy Governor Nestor Espenilla, Jr.; and KIM Kook-jong, KDB Chief Representative to the Philippines.

Korea Development Bank relaunched in Manila Moving out of the Philippines in 1998 at the wake of the Asian Financial Crisis, the state-owned Korea Development Bank reopened its Philippine representative office last July 9. The representative office is located in Makati.

The KDB is founded in 1954 following the Korea Development Act aimed at “supplying and managing major industrial capital to help develop Korean industries and the national economy.”

In the Philippines, the KDB will function as a financing en-

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tity for Korean businesses.

In a statement, KDB said that the reopening of a representative office is to aid the numerous Korean companies relocating their manufacturing bases in the Philippines.

Given this situation, the KDB is tasked to financially help these companies, as well as to boost the relationship with its corporate customers investing in the Philippines.

Likewise, KDB will also be assisting Filipino companies planning to branch out to Korea through financial advice and in-

KOREA BULLETIN