November 2014

KOREA BULLETIN The official publication of the Embassy of the Republic of Korea

FROM

THE

NOV 2014

AMBASSADOR‘S

DESK

LEE Hyuk, Ambassador Plenipotentiary and Extraordinary

I would like to begin this message with something that I said last October 14, during the celebration of Korea National Foundation Day, which actually falls on October 3. The date is the same as German Unity Day, so our embassies alternately celebrate these occasions. We had our turn last year, which is why we observed our holiday on a later date. The division of Germany and Korea were two of the tragic consequences of World War II. When East and West Germany achieved their goal of unity in 1990, it gave us hope that Korea could also become a united country. Since Korea is the only divided nation in these modern times, our government has been working toward achieving peaceful reunification with the North. The fact that Germany celebrates its Unity Day on the same day that Korea commemorates its National Foundation Day is a very meaningful coincidence.

It is no coincidence, however, that some of the major events that transpired in the previous quarter were connected with business. After all, the Philippines has been enjoying robust growth.

Being one of the leading trade partners of the Philippines, Korea is proud to be a part of this economic upheaval, a fact that was underscored during the Philippines-Korea Copyright Forum and the Investment and Market Research Mission, both held in September.

The two-day Copyright Forum was notably relevant because of the growing popularity of Hallyu or the Korean Wave. That the Philippines is a staunch adherent to the principles of intellectual property – as demonstrated by its commitment to numerous international covenants for the protection of original works – is very reassuring to Korean artists.

On the other hand, the market research mission was devoted to activities that painted a picture of the investment environment in the Philippines for the benefit of potential investors, particularly from Korea. Organized by the ASEAN-Korea Centre, I believe

the mission was able to meet its objectives of promoting investment from the Korean business community to ASEAN, particularly, to the Philippines; providing an opportunity for potential Korean investors to obtain information on the investment climate in this country that is touted to be “Asia’s next tiger”; and facilitating networking between Korean investors and their Filipino counterparts.

When the regional economic integration of ASEAN countries is realized in 2015 with the establishment of the ASEAN Economic Community, the relationship between the Philippines and Korea will be entering a new era of cooperation. The ASEAN-Republic of Korea Commemorative Summit to be held on December 11-12 this year in Busan is perceived to be an important precursor to the formation of the AEC. Economic rapport, of course, just one of the many facets of bilateral relations between the Philippines and Korea. Aside from continuous people-to-people exchange between the two countries – in terms of tourism and educational pursuits – Filipino interest in Korean culture persists.

This fact has made the Korean Cultural Center a crucial part of expanding Philippine-Korea relations. The KCC has to be credited for its recent activities, including the Korean Traditional Knot Exhibition and Korea Study Abroad Expo held in August, the K-Festival in September, followed closely by the Korean Film Festival and the Concert for Peaceful Reunification of the Korean Peninsula, both held early this month.

The concert echoed the sentiment I expressed during the National Foundation Day celebration, i.e., my ardent hope for a peaceful reunification of the two Koreas.

May 2015 usher in positive changes in Philippine-Korea relations.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Korean Embassy celebrates National Day

KOICA, DA to work on Panay upland dev’t

2014 Philippines-Korea Cultural Exchange Fest

KOICA hands seed funds to Quirino farmers

Korean Embassy to hold Korea-ASEAN Fest

KOR, PHL signs partnership MOU

KTO holds Korea Study Abroad Expo

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2014 Korean Film Fest wraps up in Manila with film director 1

2014 Korean National Day and Armed Forces Day The Embassy of the Republic of Korea celebrated its National and Armed Forces Day last October 14 at the Ambassador’s residence.

The official Korean National Day is celebrated on October 3, however this date coincided with the German Unity Day, where both the Korean and the German embassies decided to alternately celebrate the said official celebrations.

Ambassador LEE Hyuk, who arrived in the Philippines in 2012, led the ceremonies together with the Department of Foreign Affairs Acting Secretary Jesus Yabes together with Papua New Guinea Ambassador, H.E. Christian Anthony Vihruri, who represented the Dean of the Diplomatic Corps.

In his speech, Ambassador LEE recounted the contribution of the Filipinos to Korea, having sent 7,420-strong con-

tingent during the Korean War. “The Philippines and Korea have, in fact, been partners and friends in many ways,” Ambassador LEE stressed. “In business, more and more Korean companies are setting up offices in the Philippines.”

He also mentioned that Koreans constitute the largest number of foreign tourists in the Philippines, whereas the Filipinos are among the biggest consumers of Korean culture through hallyu.

Korea has been supporting development programs in the Philippines through grants from the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) and loans from the Economic Development Cooperation Fund (EDCF). Since 1991, grants totaling US$140 million and loans amounting to US$741 million have been utilized to support rural development,

KOICA, DA to work on Panay upland rural dev’t program The Korean International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) and the Department of Agriculture (DA) Regional Field Office 6 will be partnering for the development of Panay upland for the next five years in its Panay Island Upland Sustainable Rural Development Program (PIU-SRDP) which is set to begin next year.

This is in acknowledgement of the potential of the upland areas in four key provinces in Western Visayas. The areas of Libacao, Aklan; Patnongon, Antique; Jamindan and Tapaz, Capiz; and Alimodan, Iloilo were chosen for the implementation of PIU-SRDP as these are regarded as suitable for agro-forestry development and production of high value crops and other upland commodities.

The Korean government has earmarked $7M for the said project, while DA and LGUs

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has allocated $2.3M, in cooperation with the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, Philippine Coconut Authority, Philippine Fiber Industry Development Authority, Department of Agrarian Reform, and National Commission on Indigenous People, among many others.

The program is aimed at reducing poverty incidence, increasing farmers’ income, providing technical and livelihood opportunities, providing market access to farmers and promoting ecological awareness of rural farming.

The program will also be providing production technology support, capacity-building, educational and livelihood schools, alternative financial support and guarantee mechanisms, agri-infrastractures buildings and support to institutional development.

Ambassador LEE Hyuk (right) is pictured together with DFA Acting Secretary Jesus Yabes (center) and Papua New Guinea Ambassador HE Christian Anthony Vihruri during the National Day toast.

health care, infrastructure, green energy, and improving the quality of life of the poor.

As bilateral cooperation between the two countries continue to thrive under a climate of unprecedented economic growth, Korea is focusing 70% of its budget for development cooperation in the Philippines

for the years 2012-2016 on promoting sustainable economic growth through transport infrastructure development, supporting food security and rural poverty alleviation through agriculture and water resources development, and strengthening national health systems and local health services.

KOICA hands seed fund to Quirino farmers The Korean International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) handed a P100-million worth of seed fund last September 22 to the government of Quirino intended for the farmers of Quirino under the Quirino Integrated Agricultural Development Project (QIADAP).

Apart from the seed-fund, KOICA also turned over motorcycles and office equipment for the said project.

The seed-fund will function as a start-up fund for the member-farmers of the QIADAP to aid with their financial needs and to meet their goal of boosting farm produce and becoming independent from private traders, as per Dr. Chung Ki Whan, project manager and president of the Korea Institute for Rural Development.

KOICA began implementing QIADAP last year, following the signing of the project

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agreement between KOICA Resident Representative SONG Minhyeon and Quirino Governor Junie Cua in August of 2013.

The project will be implemented until 2016, with a grant of $5M to be used for the construction of farm-to-market roads, introduction of improved farming technologies for agroforestry, provision of microfinancing in-kind, equipment and materials, and capacity-building of project implementers and beneficiaries.

The QIADAP is aimed at poverty alleviation, and improvement of farm income through the introduction of new crops, establishment of a feed mill facility, rehabilitation of watershed areas and extension of microfinancing to farmers.

The project will benefit 162 households.

Korea Tourism Organization holds Korea Study Abroad Expo Students wishing to pursue an undergraduate program in the subject of their choice at Korean universities flocked to the “Campus Korea, Study Korea (Korea Study Abroad Expo 2014)” held last August 27 and 28, 2014.

Held at the UPAA Ang Bahay Ng Alumni building in UP Diliman, the “Campus Korea, Study Korea” was organized

by Korea Tourism Organization (KTO), the National Institute For International Education (NIIE), and UP Diliman.

Representatives from as many as 13 accredited universities in Korea also participated for the event. (Korea University, Dongguk University, Gyeongnam Provincial College in Geochang, Soonsil University, Sogang University, The State

University of New York, Korea, Wonkwang Health Science University, Sejong University, Hankuk University of Foreign Studies, Seokyeong University, Korea University of Media arts, Seoul National University of Science and Technology and Changwon National University) During the expo, it was had variety events such as speech from scholarship Filipino student in Korea, promotion of GKS/TOPIK, promotion for admission of Korean universities, Korea Study tour, Visa Guideline, Korea traditional and K-pop performances and raffle prize.

Since 2001, NIIED cooperated with Korean universities to attract international students that held education fairs for

KOR, PHL hold copyright forum; sign partnership MOU

(L-R) Carmen G. Peralta , IPOPHL-DITTB Director; Atty. Allan B. Gepty, IPOPHL Deputy DirectorGeneral for Advocacy, Policy and International Relations; Ambassador LEE Hyuk; Atty. Ricardo R. Blancaflor, IPOPHL Director General (MOU Signatory for the Philippines); PARK Younggoog, MCST Director General-Bureau of Copyright (MOU Signatory for Korea); YU Byung Han Korea Copyright Commission Chairman; OH Choong-suk, Director of the Korean Cultural Center; CHA Tae Won, Korea Copyright Commission - Manila Office Director; and CHANG Sokin, MCST Deputy Director for Copyright Policy Office.

The Korea Copyright Commission and the Intellectual Property of the Philippines signed a partnership aimed at the promotion of copyright awareness and protection during the annual Korea-Philippines Copyright Forum held last September 18.

The forum tackled the ways and means to address the global issue of infringement especially with the growing popularity of Hallyu or Korean Wave in the

Philippines.

In addition, the forum discussed the best practices of the two countries regarding copyright and the promotion of cultural development.

The Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), signed by IPOPHL director-general Ricardo Blancaflor and DirectorGeneral PARK Young-goong of the copyright bureau of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism (MCST).

From the left side, Mr. Sangyong Zhu, Director of KTO Manila Office; Mr. Soon-Tae Hwang, Principle of Korean International School Philippines; Mr. Choong-suk Oh, Director of Korean Cultural Center; Mr. Changeun Kim, Executive Director of Global HRD; Dr. Grace C. Ramos, Head of UP Diliman office of International Linkages; HE Hyuk LEE, Embassy of the Republic of Korea in the Republic of the Philippines; Dr. Neil Martial R. Santillan, Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs of UP Diliman; Mr. Sangwook Bae, Regional Manager of Korean Air; Mr. Yong-han Choi, Regional Manager of Asiana Airlines; Mr. Robert Choi, General Manager of Jeju Air GSA Philippines; Mr. Young-Jong Son, Country Manager of Jeju Air

studying in Korea or participated international education fairs. In addition, NIIED expanded the scale and scope of GKS(Global Korea Scholarship) program as a national

brand that 220 scholarship students from 29 countries in 2005 is expanded to 827 scholarship students from 114 countries in 2013 (4,831 scholarship students from 137 countries).

Concert on Peaceful Unification of Korea held

The Concert on the Peaceful Unification of Korea was held last October 9 at the Cultural Center of the Philippines featuring some of the renowned artists from both Korea and the Philippines in an expression of the desire for the unification of the Korean peninsula.

The concert, co-hosted by the Korean Cultural Center, the National Unification Advisory Council and the Korean Women’s Association featured the Manila Symphony Orchestra, the Korea Countertenor Ensem-

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ble, Soprano Minjung PARK, the UE Polyphonics, pansori singer Jaesoo HONG, and Sidhaya Rondalla.

In a statement, the organizers expressed that the harmony created through the concert will hopefully reflect the hopes for unification despite the “different value systems of the two Koreas and different cultures.”

The event organizers also thanked the donations that poured for both the defectors and victims of typhoon Haiyan.

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art & culture “Hi Korea, Anyeong ASEAN” opens in Bacolod, culminates in Manila The Embassy of the Republic of Korea and the Korean Cultural Center in the Philippines will be holding the “Hi Korea, Annyeong ASEAN” on November 22 at the Bonifacio High Street to celebrate the upcoming Korea-ASEAN Commemorative Summit this December in Busan, Korea.

The Hi Korea, Annyeong ASEAN in Manila is hoped to deepen the awareness of Filipinos on Korean culture, with several renowned performance groups flying in Korea, namely Dong Rak Traditional Performance Arts Group, Didim Dance Company, Yoon Joo

Hee Microcosm Ensemble, Gorilla Crews and the Jo Joo Hyun Dance Company.

The Hi Korea, Annyeong ASEAN is a series of events, which will begin in Bacolod on November 16 and will move to Subic on November 19, and will culminate in Manila on November 22.

Apart from these performances, the guest and the audience can catch the Korean popular movie, <Take Off>, which is story about national athletics of ski jumping and experience winter, at least through the screen.

Admission is free.

2014 Philippines-Korea Cultural Exchange Festival held

2014 Korea Film Festival wraps up in Manila; film director graces opening

LIM Sang-yoon, the director of the SO Ji-sub starrer movie The Company Man, graced the opening night of the Manila leg of the 2014 Korean Film Festival last October 8 at SM Megamall.

The Korean Cultural Center in the Philippines (KCC) and the Embassy of the Republic of Korea featured seven films for the Korean Film Festival this September and October, in cooperation with the Film Development Council of the Philippines (FDCP), the Film Cultural Exchange Program, Korea Copyright Commission, Korea Tourism Organization,

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SM Cinema and SM Lifestyle Entertainment, Inc. The film festival opened first in Clark in September 17, September 24 in SM Lanang Premier and October 1 in SM City Cebu.

SO Ji-sub’s action-thriller “Company Man” leads this year’s roster of films with varied genre, as well as the thriller films “Hide and Seek,” “Hwayi,” and “King of Pigs.”

The romantic comedy “All about My Wife,” and dramas “Man on the Edge” and “My Paparotti” complete the film list for the 2014 Korean Film Festival.

The Korean Cultural Center (KCC), together with the United Korean Community Association in the Philippines (UKCA) and the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) recently hosted the 2014 Korea-Philippines Cultural Exchange Festival last November 8 at the Aliw Theater.

The event featured the performances of Molgae, a Korean traditional dance and percussion team, as well as the Bayanihan Dance Company, the national dance team of the Philippines.

The event was aimed at en-

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hancing the cooperation and friendship of Korea and the Philippines, as well as in celebrating the Korea-ASEAN Commemoration Summit which will be held in December 11, 12 in Busan, South Korea.

Apart from the performances of the said groups, there were several raffle events, Korean food tasting, hanbok-wearing (Korean Traditional clothes wearing), and Korean photo exhibition. Also contest of K-pop singing and dancing among both Korean and Filipino participants was held on the said event.