KOREA BULLETIN April 2014
The official publication of the Embassy of the Republic of Korea
FROM
THE AMBASSADOR’S DESK
LEE Hyuk, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
It is with sadness that as we enter the second quarter of this year, we witnessed the sinking of the Korean ferry Sewol that left 300 dead or missing, many of them schoolchildren. People from all over the world offered prayers and condolences, for which we are most grateful. If not for this tragic incident, things have been going smoothly both in the Republic of Korea and in the Philippines. Support for the survivors of super typhoon Yolanda continued. In January, a fund-raising concert featuring the soprano Sumi Jo was made possible with the combined efforts of the Cultural Arts Events Organizer, the Korean Cultural Center, and their business and media partners. In the same period, the Givers Funds Inc., a member of the Food For The Hungry International Federation, donated school supplies to about sixty schools in Leyte, with children in kindergarten, elementary, and high school as primary beneficiaries. Yolanda showcased a lack of awareness of the impact of man’s actions on nature, so the Samsung Korean Studies Program featured in February a special lecture on the environment, with emphasis on how the Republic of Korea – rising from the ashes of two major wars – managed to transform itself from a poor and devastated country reliant on foreign aid, to a first-world state that offers development assistance to less developed nations. This “Korean Model” is widely perceived to be the solution to the problems that are besetting many parts of the world. On the cultural front, the Korean Cultural Center’s Korean Character Product Exhibition is now on its third month. From hand-held flip books, K-animation has made great progress since 2011. This is the year when Pororo the Little Penguin was produced, which allowed the genre to join mainstream animation while stimulating viewer interest in this purely Korean art form. Three major events happened in March. A forum was conducted under the aegis of the ADB, which was “designed to develop a more concrete business relationship between project owners and Korean contractors.” This forum will ultimately enhance the relationship between the Philippines and Korea through mutual cooperation. It is a relationship that further manifested itself with the open-
ing of the Representative Office in the Philippines of Korea Rural Community Corporation. This is consistent with the ideals that our two countries are pursuing in terms of cooperation in the field of agriculture. Since its establishment in December 2008, KRC has been helping communities in the Philippines gain economic independence and self-sufficiency by sharing its experiences and expertise on rural development, on-farm facilities, and Saemaul Undong. And before the end of March, the purchase of twelve FA-50 aircrafts by the Philippine government from the Korean Aerospace Industries was finalized with the signing of the contract by representatives of both countries. The planes should help boost the capabilities of the Philippine Air Force in defending the Philippine Islands. In April, the Korean Franchise Show was held at the Makati Shangri-la Hotel. It is a testament to the growing popularity of Korean products, especially food, in the Philippine market. With more and more Filipinos showing appreciation for Korean food and its health and gustatory benefits, the show was also a recognition of the robust economy that the Philippines is currently enjoying. Thus, the renewal of the Memorandum of Understanding on the Employment Permit System or EPS between the Republics of Korea and the Philippines was also very timely. After ten years of successful implementation, the EPS continues to be a reliable standard for the hiring of skilled Filipino workers by Korean firms. Because of the good performance of Filipinos and the steady drop in the number of illegal workers, the Republic of Korea has raised this year’s employment quota. As I said at the outset, it would have been a very fine period, if not for Sewol tragedy. As the investigation of the incident continues and we all move on, we can only hope that the days to come will be rosier under an atmosphere of peace and prosperity. ***
CONTENTS PHL acquires FA-50 fighter jets from Korea, signs contract
EPS agreement Korea, PHL commemobetween Korea and rate Battle of Yuldong PHL renewed
KOICA commits Korea Rural Commu$10-million for Iloilo nity Corp. inaugurates port development representative office
KOREA BULLETIN
PHL, Korea sign franchise MOU
K-Animation, arts exchange exhibit in KCC
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