KOREA BULLETIN 1

KOREA BULLETINThe official publication of the Embassy of the Republic of Korea January 2014

CONTENTS

Korean troops in Leyte to help in rehabilitation; to stay for a year

P h i l i p p i n e s - K o r e a Technological and Cooperation Center

launched

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 bil-lions 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 cam-paign 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 High-ways on November 26 proved to be very timely. With the planned re-habilitation 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 Ko-rean 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

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!

F R O M T H E A M B A S S A D O R ’ S D E S KLEE Hyuk, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary

Korean Embassy, DPWH hold Infrastra-ture Forum

Korean Embassy hosts Food Festival

Korean Embassy, AIM partner for ODA forum

2nd Philippine-Korean Studies

Symposium held

KCC exhibit to highlight Korean animation culture

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Korea donates US$25-million, sends troops for Yolanda rehab

A military contingent from Korea arrived in Leyte last December 27 to conduct rehabilitation and recovery operations in a continued aid effort of the Republic of Korea to the Philippines, on top of the US$25-million aid donation.

The 540-member contin-gent from the Korean Armed Forces is composed of medi-cal, recovery, and engineer-ing teams and will be staying for a maximum of a year.

The deployment of the Korean troops to the Philip-pines is a reflection of the gratitude of the Korean peo-ple for the country’s partici-pation in the Korean War.

It also marks the first overseas deployment of Korean military personnel in the form of a state-sanc-tioned unilateral assistance.

The Korean expedition

unit, known as Araw or “Sun”, is prioritizing activi-ties on recovery of public facilities like schools, hospi-tals, and government offices. They will take temporary shelter in Palo, Leyte.

Defense Undersecre-tary for Civil Veterans and

Reserve Affairs, Eduardo G. Batac, on behalf of Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin welcomed the Korean troops, together with Ambassador LEE Hyuk and Maj. Gen. John Bonafos of the Central Com-mand, at the Mactan Benito Ebuen Air Base.

Timeline of Korean Aid for Typhoon Yolanda

November 12 - Korea pledges US$5-million worth of aid to the Philippines as initial re-sponse.November 15 - Korea sends a 44-member Korea Disas-ter and Relief team to aid in medical and relief efforts. Four C-130 aircrafts were deployed.November 17 - Ambassador LEE Hyuk flies to Tacloban to assess the damage wrought by super typhoon Yolanda for any further assistance of Korea and motivate the relief team.November 22 - Korea ap-proves an additional US$20-million worth of assistance for reconstruction and rehabilita-tion through Korea’s ODA pro-gram to be managed by KOICA. It will run from 2014-2016.November 25 - An advance team was deployed for a one-week assessment of the af-fected areas.December 27 - 540 members of the South Korean Armed Forces arrive in Leyte.

Philippines-Korea Technological Cooperative Center InauguratedThe Philippines-Korea

Technological and Coopera-tive Center (PKTCC), a four-storey multi-function center fully equipped with human resource and training facil-ity, was inaugurated last No-vember 7, 2013.

Considered as an icon of the sturdy bilateral relations between the Philippines and the Republic of Korea, the PKTCC is situated in a 6,000 square-meter lot inside the Philippine Korea Friendship Center (PKFC) along Bayani Road, Taguig City. It was funded by the Korean International Cooperation Agency (KOICA), in cooperation with the Department of National Defense which donated the prime lot where the center was constructed; the Philippine Veterans Affairs Office (PVAO); and

the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA).

Ambassador LEE Hyuk and Honorio S. Azcueta, Un-dersecretary of National De-fense representing the Sec-retary of National Defense Voltaire Gazmin, led the rib-bon-cutting and unveiling of the dedication and marker.

The Human Resource Development Institute (HRDI) of PKTCC offers TESDA courses such as higher levels of technology in Automation (Mechatronics NCIII and IV, Electrical Installation and Maintenance NCIII and NCIV), commonly required in highly advanced technology in automotive manufacturing services, construction and mechatronics and robotics industries, and two Digital Arts (3D Digital Animation

NCII and Game Programming NCIII) with the state-of-the-art and latest equipment and software technology from the Korean government. The HRDI also offers Korean language and culture training program with volunteers from the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) and Filipino trainers as team-teachers.

Ambassador LEE and TESDA Director-General Emmanuel Joel Villanueva, representing President Be-

nigno S. Aquino III as Guest of Honor in the program, signed the Deed of Donation with Mr. SONG Minhyeon, Resident Representative of KOICA and PVAO Adminis-trator Ernesto G.Carolina as witnesses.

In his message, Ambassa-dor LEE said that the govern-ment of Korea is looking for-ward to a deeper friendship and stronger bond between the people and the govern-ments of the Philippines and Korea.

KOREA BULLETIN 3

Korean Embassy, DPWH hold Infrastructure Forum

The Embassy of the Re-public of Korea hosted an infrastructure forum last November 26, 2013 at the Makati Shangri-la. Dubbed Philippine Infrastructure Projects 2014-2020: Oppor-tunities and Directions, the forum was a timely exercise in the aftermath of the natu-ral calamities that destroyed many parts of the Visayas.

In summing up the signif-

icance of the forum, Korean Ambassador LEE Hyuk said, “Events such as this forum will facilitate rehabilitation (of the devastated areas) by making the stakeholders un-derstand the current state of the construction industry, especially as far as Korean contractors are concerned, and strengthening the net-work between them and the Philippine government.”

(L-R) Korean Ambassador LEE Hyuk, DPWH Assistant Secretary Maria Catalina Cabral, DPWH Secretary Rogelio Singson, Elmer Dorado of NEDA, and LaFarge Philippines CEO Don Lee.

Korean Embassy, AIM partner for an aid forum

In cooperation with the Asian Institute of Manage-ment (AIM), the Embassy of the Republic of Korea held a forum on official develop-ment aid, entitled “Korea as a partner of ASEAN: Furthering Cooperation for Enhanced Friendship and Common Prosperity through ODA” last December 4, 2013 at the In-terContinental Manila.

The forum was conceptu-alized in view of the strong showing of the Philippine economy in the last two years and its role as Chair of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) in 2015, the same year as the realiza-tion of the ASEAN Economic Community.

In spite of increasing economic opportunities in the region, development gaps among ASEAN member states remain and debates persist on whether actual progress has been made to

address them. As an ASEAN partner, Korea recognizes the necessity for positive collective action and sup-ports regional collaboration on cross-cutting issues that will help bridge these gaps.

The conference was held to strengthen relations be-tween Korea and the Philip-pines based on a newly-up-

dated Country Partnership Strategy (2012-2016).

It also explored areas of cooperation between Korea and the ASEAN, with focus on the following themes: Aid for Trade, a post-2015 MDG (Millennium Development Goals) Development Agenda, and Climate Change Adapta-tion & Disaster Risk Reduc-

tion.The speakers came

from a diverse group – representatives from the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) and the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA), the ASEAN Secretariat, as well as the UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP), the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and AIM.

The Korean contingent was composed of officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) and the Ko-rean Embassy, as well as rep-resentatives from the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA), Korea Ex-imBank and Korea Institute for International Economic Policy.

Korean Ambassador LEE Hyuk officially opened the forum.

Korean Embassy hosts food festival

The Embassy of the Republic of Korea recently hosted a Food Festival with the theme, “Winter Wonder in Korea,” last December 18, 2013, at the Glorietta 4 Activity Center, Makati City.

The Korean Food Festi-val was organized to raise

the spirit of the Filipinos this Christmas through the increasingly popular Korean food, as the event reflects the happy spirit of the yuletide season following the succes-sive natural calamities that have beset the Philippines.

The festival was also in-

tended to introduce Korean food culture to the Filipino consumer, as well as to re-inforce existing positive feedback to Korean cuisine, and build brand equity for participating Korean food suppliers through consumer experience and word-of-mouth.

The gathering was sponsored by Assi Phils. Trading Corp., Glass Lock

Philippines, and Mr. Kimbob.

Apart from a photo ex-hibition and booths where guests can explore and purchase Korean products, there were performances that featured pungmul (a Korean folk music tradition that includes drumming, dancing, and singing), Bu-chaechum (fan dance), and K-Pop.

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Arts & Culture

2nd Philippine-Korean Studies Symposium focuses

on sustainable Korean studies

In cooperation with the UP Asian Center, the Embassy of the Republic of Korea, the Korean Cultural Center (KCC), the Korea Foundation and the University of the Philippines Center for International Studies (UPCIS) hosted the 2nd Philippine-Korean Studies Symposium. It was held last December 13 and 14 at the University of the Philippines Asian Center.

With the theme “Trending Now: Current Issues on Korean Studies in the World,” the second leg of the PKSS tackled the current crucial issues in a bigger picture in order to provide more valid theories and meaningful research outcomes in the field of Korean Studies.

On the other hand, it important to understand the problem within a regional context, such as East Asia and ASEAN, so that sustainable studies from the region can contribute to phenomena of comprehension as well as to future research application.

Korea has been developing positive nation brand in the Philippines and the bilateral relations between the two countries has become stronger and closer than ever.

The first PKSS in February 2012 witnessed a growing academic interest among

Filipino scholars in Korean studies. The event provided them the opportunity to interact with Korean and international scholars in order to initiate academic movement of Korean studies in the Philippines.

In this regard, the 2nd PKSS aimed to provide the floor for scholars in the Philippines, Korea, and International institutions a venue for information exchange and interaction. The Symposium aimed to bring to the fore the emerging issues in Korean Studies, particularly in the Philippine context.

To address these issues, PKSS invited renowned scholars from Korea and the US to speak in plenary, as well as Filipino scholars from Korean and local uni-versities to share their quali-fied research in Korean is-sues.

Gracing the event were Ambassador LEE Hyuk, Columbia University Director of the Center for Korean Research Dr. Charles K. Armstrong, Seoul National University Department of Anthropology Professor Dr. CHUN Kyung-soo, and Kangwon National University Department of Cultural Anthropology Associate Professor Dr. KIM Minjung.

KCC to launch first exhibit of 2014; highlights the Korean

animation culture and characters

The Korean Cultural Center in the Philippines will be launching its first exhibit for 2014 which will be highlighting the animation culture of Korea on February 7.

The exhibit, entitled ‘Korean Character Exhibition: The Delight of Korean Animation Character World” will feature iconic tube characters such as Pororo, Pucca, Tayo, Canimal, Cloud Bread and Hello Jadoo.

The exhibit aims to celebrate the new Korean Wave, the K-Animation.

Also, this exhibition will be launched to introduce a variety of Korean culture through the Korean characters and its products.

Unlike K-Pop, which relies on the popularity of its ‘idol’ stars, or K-Dramas which require certain degree of cultural understanding, K-Animation can be directly appreciated by the world thanks to its fun and universal stories as well as cute, and loveable characters.

With this exhibit, the Korean Cultural Center will underscore the appeal of these Korean characters not just among the children, but also among the Philippine general public and bring them back into the memories of their childhood.

The exhibit will run until May 10 and is open to the public.