KOREA BULLETIN

KOREA BULLETIN
The official publication of the Embassy of the Republic of Korea
On October 4, 2012, I presented
my credentials to H.E. Benigno S.
Aquino III, President of the Republic
of the Philippines, as the new Ambassador of the Republic of Korea.
For over six decades, the Philippines
and Korea have developed a strong
framework for cooperation, which
is anchored in our shared values and experiences. Our
partnership has deepened in the comprehensive areas
of politics, trade and investment, development cooperation, cultural, and people-to-people exchanges. As such,
it is indeed an honor and privilege to become part of the
growing relations between our two countries.
During the first official visit of Secretary Albert del
Rosario of the Department of Foreign Affairs to Korea on
August 30, 2012, he met with Minister Sung-hwan KIM
of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade and paid a
courtesy call on Prime Minister Hwang-sik KIM. The
visit provided a valuable opportunity to exchange views
and discuss issues of mutual concern, thereby contributing to strengthened bilateral relations between our two
countries. In the months to come, I look forward to more
high-level exchanges between leaders of our two governments.
In the aspect of our economic cooperation, the Korean government is committed to expanding the mutually
beneficial trade and investment relations with the Philippines. Through the enhanced business environment in the
country, and the keen interest of many Korean investors,
I am sure we can sustain and even surpass the trade volume we achieved in the previous year.
Furthermore, the Korean government remains steadfast in its collaboration with the Philippine government
in providing development assistance. Last August, many
Filipinos were severely affected by the flooding caused
by the southwest monsoon rains. Responding to the difficult situation of our Filipino friends, the Korean government donated $200,000 worth of in-kind relief assistance, which I hope will be of help to them in rebuilding
their homes and communities.
In order to foster and maintain our enduring ties, we
continue to hold our annual cultural celebrations and
encourage greater exchanges between our two peoples.
I believe the mutual understanding and close friendship
between the Filipinos and Koreans are instrumental in
promoting our existing bonds of amity and friendship.
Building upon the fine legacy of our partnership, I
will remain committed to enhancing our excellent relations. I count on the continued support of the Philippine
government and the Korean community in carrying out
this important mission.
Thank you very much.
October 2012
New Korean Ambassador presents
credentials to President Aquino III
Ambassador of the Republic of Korea to the Philippines Hyuk LEE presents his
credentials to President Benigno Aquino III last October 4. Photo from the Presidential
Communications Operations Office
The new ambassador of the Republic of Korea to the Philippines, H.E. Hyuk LEE, officially presented his credentials to
President Benigno Aquino III last October 4 at the Malacañang
Palace.
The Philippines is Ambassador LEE’s first official posting,
having served principally in Japan as First and Second Secretary
and as Minister in 1986, 1992 and 2009 respectively. Ambassador LEE also served in Poland as First Secretary and in China
as Counsellor.
Ambassador LEE was born in 1958. In 1980 he graduated
from the Korea University with a bachelor’s degree in Economics and subsequently joined the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in
the same year.
He was also among the members of the Presidential entourage of Korean heads of state who made visits in the Philippines,
namely Dae-jung KIM in 1999, Moo-hyun ROH in 2005 and
Myung-bak LEE in 2011.
CONTENTS
New Korean Ambassador presents credentials to President
Aquino III
KOR, PHL foreign ministers meet
Korea EXIM and PHL sign Jalaur loan agreement
Korea extends assistance to PHL, donates relief items
Impact of Hallyu on Filipino pysche discussed
Varied genres entertain Filipinos on 2012 Korean Film Fest
PHL, KOR sign loan agreement for Puerto Princesa airport dev’t
Korea to help DOTC develop Motor Vehicle Inspection System
KOICA, NWRB Signs Water Information System Agreement
KOREA BULLETIN
1
KOR, PHL foreign ministers meet
Minister Sung-hwan KIM
of the Ministry of Foreign
Affairs and Trade (MOFAT)
of the Republic of Korea met
with his Philippine counterpart, Secretary Albert del Rosario, last August 30 to discuss
ways on further enhancing the
bilateral relations of the two
countries.
As discussed, the ties between Korea and the Philippines has benefited from recent high-level exchanges,
such as the bilateral summit
meeting last October 2011.
Further discussions included
development cooperation, agriculture, green growth, the
security of both Filipino and
Korean nationals residing and
visiting their respective countries in line with the recent
surge of people-to-people exchanges and a stronger KoreaASEAN cooperation.
Secretary del Rosario also
met with Korean Prime Minister Hwang-sik KIM during his
two-day visit to Korea.
Korean Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Sung-hwan KIM (right) meets with
Philippine Foreign Minister Albert del Rosario during the latter’s visit to Korea last
August. Photo by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade
Korea extends assistance to PHL, donates relief items
Ambassador Hyuk LEE
officially turned over the
US$200,000 worth of in-kind
relief assistance to the Department of Social Welfare and
Development (DSWD) in a
simple ceremony last October
18. The assistance extended
by the Korean government is
intended for those affected by
the monsoon rains that battered Manila last August.
Former Ambassador Hye
Min LEE had earlier written
to DSWD Secretary Corazon
Soliman to inform her of the
relief assistance.
It was the new Ambassador, Hyuk LEE, who facilitat-
ed the turnover. Ambassador
LEE was still in Korea when
the monsoon rains devastated
Manila.
“It is with profound sadness that I learned about the
severe damages of the flooding caused by the southwest
monsoon rains in the Philippines last August.” Ambassador LEE said. “Although
it has been two months since
the disaster, I still hope that
the assistance can be of help
to the victims affected by the
flooding and facilitate in the
rebuilding of their homes.”
Korea EXIM and PHL sign Jalaur loan agreement
President Benigno Aquino
III witnessed the signing of
the loan agreement between
the Export Import Bank of
Korea (Korea Eximbank) and
the Department of Finance last
August 9 at the Malacañang
Palace. The agreement was for
the second phase of the Jalaur
River Multipurpose Project.
Signing for both offices were
Vice-President
Sang-wan
BYUN of the Export Import
Bank of Korea and Secretary
of the Department of Finance
Cesar Purisima.
Also in attendance were
former ambassador to the Philippines Hye Min LEE, Senator Franklin Drilon, Secretary
Proceso Alcala of the Department of Agriculture and Chief
Representative of the Korea
Eximbank in Manila Mr. Taeik PARK.
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President Benigno Aquino III witnessed the signing of the loan agreement between
the Korea Eximbank and the Department of Finance. Flanking him are (L-R) Agriculture Secretary Proceso Alcala, Senator Franklin Drilon, Finance Secretary Cesar
Purisima, Export Import Bank of Korea Vice-President Sang-wan Byun, former Ambassador to the Philippines Hye Min LEE and Chief Representative of the Korea
Eximbank Manila Office Mr. Tae-Ik Park. Photo from the Presidential Communications Operations Office
Once the loan becomes effective, the Korean state-run
bank will be extending a soft
loan of the Economic Development Cooperation Fund
(EDCF) which amounts to approximately US$208 million
at the rate of 0.15% per annum. It has a repayment term
of 40 years, including a 10year grace period to finance
the multipurpose irrigation
project in Iloilo.
The Jalaur River Project is
the biggest yet in the EDCFfunded projects in terms of
loan amount. It was approved
under the US$500-million
KOREA BULLETIN
Framework
Arrangement
signed between the government of Korea and the Philippines during the state visit of
Korean President Myung-bak
LEE to the Philippines last
November 2011.
The project aims to promote irrigation and agricultural productivity, thereby
boosting economic and social
development in Iloilo and
contributing to the achievement of national food selfsufficiency targets.
Mr. Sang-wan BYUN,
Vice-President of Korea Eximbank, said that this is not
only the biggest but also the
fastest processed project, having taken into consideration its
priority in the Philippine Investment Plan and its significance in achieving the nation’s
efforts at food self-sufficiency.
Impact of Hallyu
on the Filipino
psyche discussed
The Korean Cultural Center, together with the Korea
Foundation for International
Culture Exchange (KOFICE)
recently hosted the “Hallyu sa
Pinas,” a one-day forum that
discussed the impact of Hallyu
in the Philippines, given the
strong interest of the Filipino
consumers on Korean dramas,
films and music.
Hallyu was derived from
the two Korean words ‘Han’
for Korean and ‘Ryu’ for Wave,
bringing about the present-day
name for Korean Wave.
The forum, held last October 14 at the InterContinental
Manila gathered media practitioners, members of the academe, film and music producers as well as other enthusiasts
to look into the past, present
and future of Hallyu (Korean
Wave) in the Philippinesto examine the extent of the influence of Hallyu in the country
Pictured with Ambassador Hyuk LEE (third from right) are (L-R) Prof. Djun Kil KIM of the University of Asia and the Pacific, Prof.
Rhoderick Nuncio, Ph.D and Ms. Catherine Deen of the De La Salle University, Mr. Chris Millado, Vice-President of the Cultural
Center of the Philippines, Atty. Ricardo Blancaflor of the Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines and Director Seong Un
HWANG of the Korean Cultural Center.
as well as the acculturation
that happens between the
Korean and Filipino cultures
through this phenomenon.
Speakers for the first panel
included Prof. Ma. Cristanda
Flores, Ph.D of the University of the Philippines and Ms.
Catherine Deen, Ph.D of De
La Salle University (DLSU),
while the moderator was Prof.
Rhoderick Nuncio, Ph.D of
DLSU served as the moderator and Prof. Djun Kil KIM
of the University of Asia and
the Pacific for the reaction and
recommendation.
Tackling
Koreanovelas
were Mr. Jose Ma. Bartolome
of GMA, Ms. Rachel Simon of
ABS-CBN and Prof. Florinda
Mateo of UP. Joining them are
Prof. Louie Jon Sanchez of the
Ateneo de Manila University
as moderator and Ms. Rina
Jimenez David of the Philippine Daily Inquirer for the reaction.
Touching on the more popular topic of K-Pop were Ms.
Happee Sy-Go of PULP Live
World Productions, Ms. Katherine Choy of Astroplus Philippines and Ms. Gigia Yia, the
managing editor of Sparkling
Magazine.
For the film panel, discussants included Prof. Eduardo
Lejano, Jr. of the UP Film
Institute, filmmaker Chris
Martinesz, Mr. Sanghoon
AHN, president of Sangsang
Film Company and Mr. In Ho
HWANG, director of ‘Spellbound’ which was screened in
the 2012 Korean Film Festival. Acting as moderator was
award-winning
filmmaker
Pepe Diokno and the founder
of Cinemanila, Tikoy Aguiluz,
for the recommendations.
Varied genres entertain Filipinos
on 2012 Korean Film Fest
With seven family-themed
films in the roster, this year’s
film festival saw a bigger number and a more diverse group
of Filipino audience patiently
lining up for the free films
screened during the Korean
Film Festival in SM Cinemas
last September 18 to October
7 in three select malls.
“This year’s film festival
covers all genres, which is a
good opportunity for families
to bond together. For our two
peoples, family is the most
cherished value for which we
live.” Ambassador LEE said in
his speech.
The films screened were
Jeon Woo Chi (전우치),
Spellbound
(오싹한연애),
Bunt (날아라 허동구), A
Barefoot Dream (맨발의 꿈),
Late Blossom (그대를 사랑
합니다), Arahan (아라한 장
풍 대작전) and Highway Star
(복면달호).
This year’s film fest, in cooperation with SM Cinemas
and the Film Development
Council of the Philippines
(FDCP), featured a variety of
genres ranging from fantasy,
action, romance to comedy,
further solidifying the hold of
Hallyu (Korean Wave) in the
Filipino consciousness.
Apart from Manila, the
festival included Cebu, with
the province of Baguio added
in. The Manila leg was held in
SM Megamall last October 18
to 23, with the premiere night
attended by FDCP Chairman
Mr. Briccio Santos, Ambassador Hyuk LEE and Quirino
Lone District Rep. Dakila
Cua.
Next to Manila, the filmfest moved to SM City Baguio
which was held from September 26 to 30. The province of
(Topmost photo) Mr. Briccio Santos, president of the Film Development Council of
the Philippines and Ambassador Hyuk LEE talk during the opening night of the 2012
Korean Film Festival.
Cebu also hosted the film fest
from October 3 to 7, which co-
KOREA BULLETIN
incided with their annual Korean Day celebration.
3
PHL, KOR sign loan agreement
for Puerto Princesa airport dev’t
On behalf of the Korean
and Philippine governments,
the Exim-Import Bank of
Korea (KEXIM) and the Department of Finance signed
a US$71.612 million loan
agreement last August 23 for
the Puerto Princesa Airport
development project by the
Department of Transportation
and Communication.
KEXIM Chairman and
President Yong Hwan KIM
and Finance Secretary Cesar Purisima signed the loan
agreement that will, under
the Economic Development
Cooperation Fund (EDCF),
finance the improvement and
rehabilitation of the gateway
airport of the Province of Palawan.
The Project is geared towards the expansion and
development of the Puerto
Princesa Airport through the
construction of a new passenger terminal with facilities as
well as the construction of a
new access road. The loan is
will also be for the improve-
ment of the runway and provision of navigational aids
to accommodate increased
domestic and international
flights.
This is the second loan
agreement signed this year
between the KEXIM and the
Philippines. Last August 9,
a US$207.88 million loan
agreement was signed for the
second phase of the Jalaur
River Multipurpose Project.
Korea to help DOTC develop a
Motor Vehicle Inspection System
The Korean Government’s
Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA)
will provide a US$ 1 million
grant to the Department of
Transportation and Communication (DOTC) for the establishment of a National Integrated Vehicle Inspection and
Management System in the
Philippines. KOICA Resident
Representative Jinoh KIM
and DOTC Assistant Secretary Jaime Raphael Feliciano
signed the project agreement
on October 12, 2012 at the
DOTC.
The project will develop
a master plan for a Motor Vehicle Inspection and Manage-
ment System that will be the
basis and guide for government planners in charting the
course of action for implementing a sustainable inspection system nationwide. It
would also aid in the preparation of a strategic development plan for developing and
implementing an integrated
network of motor vehicle inspection and management facilities, as part of the overall
scheme of vehicle registration.
“We hope that upon completion of our project, the Philippine Government would be
able to successfully establish
Modern Integrated Vehicle
Inspection and Management
KOICA Resident Representative Jinoh KIM and DOTC Assistant Secretary Jaime
Raphael Feliciano signed the project agreement last October 12, 2012.
Centers that would help ensure road safety and address
vehicular emission and pollution problems,” Resident Representative Jinoh KIM said
during the signing ceremony.
The 15-month project
would involve the develop-
ment of the master plan and
feasibility studies, as well as
conducting capacity building
program for vehicle inspectors, dispatching of technical
experts, and training of local
officials and personnel in Korea.
KOICA, NWRB Signs Water
Information System Agreement
The Korea International
Cooperation Agency (KOICA) and the National Water
Resources Board (NWRB),
represented by Resident Representative Jinoh KIM and
Officer-In-Charge
Elenito
Bagalihog respectively, signed
the agreement for the Establishment of an Integrated 3D
Geographical
Information
System (GIS)-based Water
Resources Management Information System (WRMIS)
in the Provinces of Pampanga
and Bulacan last September
26 at the Quezon City-based
office of NWRB.
The project aims to accelerate progress of managing water resources support
4
system in the Philippines.
KOICA, in collaboration with
the NWRB, will establish a
WRMIS in Pampanga and
Bulacan to secure Angat Dam
as one of the sources of water
supply for Metro Manila, hydropower supply for Luzon
grid and irrigation for Bulacan
and Pampanga farmlands.
The project will use 3D geospatial empowered technology to monitor on-site information and foresee the overall
system performance in a unified way. The data and information on water resources will
be computerized using highresolution image information
to manage secure integration
of nationwide records.
KOICA Resident Representative Jinoh KIM and National Water Resources Board
Officer-In-Charge Elenito Bagalihog signed the agreement for the Establishment of
an Integrated 3D Geographical Information System (GIS)-based Water Resources
Management Information System last September 26.
The Government of the
Republic of Korea will provide a US$3.5 million grant to
fund the GIS for river basin,
dam automation, website for
KOREA BULLETIN
water resources information,
and monitoring and evaluation
system. The project is expected to be completed in 2015.