KOREA BULLETIN January 2014
The official publication of the Embassy of the Republic of Korea
FROM
THE AMBASSADOR’S DESK
LEE Hyuk, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
I believe that every year should open with good tidings and healthy optimism for the months to come. So allow me to greet one and all a hopeful 2014! These are certainly positive times, especially after the destruction that super typhoon Haiyan (local name: Yolanda) left in its unprecedented rampage last November. The past quarter, in particular, was full of important events, memorable as well as life-changing. On November 7, the Philippines-Korea Technological and Cooperation Center was formally inaugurated. The PKTCC is envisioned to “serve as a venue of multi-cultural and academic exchanges and to promote mutual friendship between the Philippines and the Republic of Korea.” Unfortunately, the following day, Yolanda made landfall in the Visayas, destroying lives by the thousands and properties by the billions of pesos. Quick to respond was the international community, including the Republic of Korea. The Korean government and people pledged US$25 million in humanitarian aid as contribution to the relief, recovery and rehabilitation operations of the Philippine government. The desire to help by many Koreans contributed further to the fund-raising campaign of the Red Cross for the benefit of Yolanda victims and survivors. In the wake of Yolanda, the Infrastructure Forum conducted by the Korean Embassy with the Department of Public Works and Highways on November 26 proved to be very timely. With the planned rehabilitation of the affected provinces, the forum ensured a continuing partnership between the Philippines and the Republic of Korea that will ultimately lead to stronger growth in much-needed infrastructure projects. Back then, I declared that the calamities that hit the country, specifically, the 7.2 magnitude earthquake in October and Yolanda in November, will not stop the growth of the robust Philippine economy. Early indications suggest that this forecast may be more accurate than expected. The arrest of the fugitive CHO Yang Eun, head of a notorious Korean crime syndicate, on the same day as the infrastructure forum of November 26, was a good sign of better things ahead. Hence, on December 4, the Embassy of the Republic of Korea, together with the Asian Institute of Management (AIM), conducted the Forum on Korea as a Partner of ASEAN: Furthering Cooperation for Enhanced Friendship and Common Prosperity Through ODA. It was an acknowledgment of the strong showing of the Philippine economy in the last two years and its scheduled role as Chair of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation in 2015. It was also intended to strengthen relations between Korea and the Philippines based on a newly updated
CONTENTS Korean troops in Leyte to help in rehabilitation; to stay for a year
Country Partnership Strategy. In terms of contributing to the rehabilitation efforts in the provinces of Leyte and Bohol, as well as Zamboanga, which was embroiled in an armed conflict, the Saemaul Undong model was introduced as a viable option in rebuilding the devastated areas. Saemaul Undong (“a movement to escape from poverty”) involves the whole community and is not limited to individual lifestyles and living conditions. Aside from AIM and KOICA representatives, the event was attended by speakers from the National Economic Development Authority (NEDA), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the ASEAN Secretariat, the Asian Development Bank (ADB), and the UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP). Experts continued to be a part of the activities of the Korean Embassy when the 2nd Philippine-Korean Studies Symposium was held at the University of the Philippines on December 13. The two-day affair provided an opportunity for people with different backgrounds but united in purpose to further galvanize relations between the two countries through cultural exchange. This exchange was maintained with the holding of the Korean Food Festival at the Glorietta Activity Center in Makati City on December 18. It was an affirmation of the general sentiment that the vibrancy of life must continue to be observed despite Yolanda – or any catastrophe, for that matter – as a way of commemorating the resiliency of the human spirit. And before the year was over, a most positive development transpired. For the first time in many years, Korean troops were deployed overseas, not as part of a UN peace-keeping mission, but as part of a rehabilitation team that will – over a period of one year – help rebuild the devastation wrought by Yolanda in Leyte and its neighboring provinces. Last December 27, I welcomed these soldiers, mostly engineers and medical personnel, who embody Korea’s pride and gratitude toward a nation and people in an hour of need. The Korean expedition unit is known as “Araw” or “Sun.” It is a fitting description of the brightness that comes after a brief period of darkness. May 2014, therefore, be a bright, harmonious, and hopeful year for every Filipino and Korean family!
Philippines-Korea Technological and Cooperation Center launched Korean Embassy, DPWH hold Infrastrature Forum
KOREA BULLETIN
Korean Embassy, AIM partner for ODA forum
Korean Embassy hosts Food Festival
2nd PhilippineKorean Studies Symposium held
KCC exhibit to highlight Korean animation culture
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