20th ASEAN-Korea Commemorative Summit Held

K O R E A B U L L E T I N

Volume 1, Issue 5 June/July 2009

20th ASEAN-Korea Commemorative Summit Held

President Lee Myung Bak headed the 20th Anniversary celebrations of the establishment of dialogue relations between the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and the Republic of Korea in a Commemorative Summit in Korea’s Jeju Island last June 1 to 2. He was joined by heads of state of ASEAN member countries including President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.

In the summit’s first session, the leaders reviewed the status of ASEAN-ROK dialogue relations and find ways to strengthen its cooperative relations in the political, security, economic and social-cultural fields. In the second session, the leaders sought ways to further strengthen cooperation, especially in addressing global challenges such as the financial crisis, energy security and climate change.

President Arroyo and President Lee held a bilateral meeting where they agreed to deepen cooperation in the sectors of economy and trade and to widen the range of cooperation to build the foundation for sustainable growth in the 21st century between the two countries.

After the meeting, five government-to-government agreements were signed. Philippine Labor Secretary Marianito Roque and Korea Minister for Labor Lee Young- Hee signed the MOUs on EPS and Labor and Manpower Development Cooperation. The EPS deal is a labor arrangement allowing skilled Filipino workers to avail of job opportunities in South Korea. It also renews the expired 2006 arrangement. The second MOU is an institutional cooperation arrangement.

Philippine Foreign Affairs Secretary Alberto Romulo and Korea Foreign Minister Yu Myung Hwan signed the $13- million grant aid to construct RPCs in the provinces of Pangasinan, Bohol, and Davao Del Sur. They also concluded the MOU on feasibility study on the Multi- Industry Cluster (MIC) which involves clustering agriculture, fishery, and other related industries in one area to achieve maximum synergy among them.

The other agreements include MOU on Agricultural Scientific and Technical Cooperation.

Diplomatic relations with ROK were established on March 3, 1949 while ASEAN-ROK Dialogue Relations were established in November 1989. ×××

INSIDE:

2 RP-Korea Development Cooperation Forum Successfully Held in Manila

3 Inauguration of the Establishment of Early Warning and Monitoring System for Disaster Mitigation in the Philippines - Iloilo Site

Groundbreaking Ceremony of the Establishment of the Seafood Processing Facility in Dagupan City

4 Korean Embassy, DND stage Scent of Korea Traditional Art

Turn-over Ceremony on Malinao Dam Improvement Feasibility Studies and Detailed Design

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One of these agreements is the Memorandum of Understanding on the Feasibility Study on the Multi- Industry Cluster Program.

As it is envisioned, the MIC program will be a vehicle for recreating a condensed Korean growth model in various areas of the Philippines. By combining clusters of agro-industrial, manufacturing, and eco-tourism zones in appropriate Philippine provinces, we can achieve the maximum economic potential of that area. The MIC program combines the Philippine’s endowments with Korea’s development experience and as a part of the process, infrastructure will be developed to spur growth.

Therefore, the MICs will recreate the Korean Economic Miracle in the Philippines. I hope this is just the first of many great cooperation partnerships between the Philippines and Korea.

Mabuhay ang pagkakaibigan ng Pilipinas at Korea!

CHOI JOONG-KYUNG Ambassador

In the past months, we saw the blossoming of the Philippines-Korea relations, largely in part because of our two governments’ efforts.

Just this May, five agreements that aim to uplift our countries’ development were signed by Philippine and Korean leaders.

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(Cont.) According to Ambassador Choi, this program aims to recreate the Korean economic miracle in the Philippines by combining clusters of agro-industrial, manufacturing, and eco-tourism zones in appropriate Philippine provinces, to maximize the economic potential of that area.

Ambassador Choi also said that since Korea plans to increase its Official Development Assistance (ODA) to the ASEAN region, the forum plays an important role in helping Korea achieve its goal to triple its ODA to the Philippines by 2015.

Ambassador Choi said that the Philippines remains as a priority country of Korea for the latter’s ODA program.

Acknowledging the importance of reinforcing the Philippines’ development partnership with Korea, Vice President De Castro said that in order to continue with the Philippine’s economic resiliency plan, the two countries must continue to front-load the infrastructure budget and accelerate the implementation of projects to build farm-to- market roads and irrigation facilities and to provide microfinance support and technical-vocational training. “I am sure that the future will provide more opportunities for economic collaboration between our two countries,” he said.

The forum also held a session on Development Cooperation for Green Growth in line with Korean President, His Excellency President Lee Myung Bak’s Low Carbon Green Growth Initiative, which calls for more investments into developing new and renewable sources of energy and environment-friendly industrial development.

Speakers from the Philippine government include NEDA Deputy Director General Tungpalan; Department of Environment and Natural Resources Undersecretary Mary Anne Lucille L. Sering; Philippine Institute for Development Studies President Josef T. Yap; and former NEDA Deputy Director-General Ruperto P. Alonzo. Korean speakers included the former President of Korea Development Institute and former Economic Adviser to the President, Prof. Jung-Taik Hyun; and former Korean Ambassador to the United Kingdom and former Economic Adviser to the President, Prof. Yoonje Cho.

This forum is one of the events sponsored by the Korean Embassy to celebrate the 60th year anniversary of the Philippines-Korea diplomatic relations. Some of the other events for the rest of the year are the Korean Traditional Costume Fashion Show, the Korean Film Festival, and the RP-ROK Cultural Festival.

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RP-Korea Development Cooperation Forum Successfully Held in Manila

By Julius P. Vicente for Manila Bulletin (30 July 2009) The Philippine and Korean governments recently concluded its first-ever development forum in Makati City that aims to exchange knowledge regarding Korea’s Economic Development Experience as well as to discuss the Philippine- Korea Development Cooperation - its importance, status, and future prospects.

Amb. Choi welcomes the participants.Looking on are (L-R) PEZA Director General Lilia B. Delima, Korean EximBank’s President Dr. Dong-soo Kim, Vice-President Noli ’Kabayan’ De Castro, and NEDA

Deputy Director General Ronaldo Tungpalan.

More than 150 officials from the Philippine and Korean governments, including Philippine Vice-President Noli ’Kabayan’ De Castro, as the forum guest of honor, attended the whole-day affair. Other attendees were Ambassador of the Republic of the Philippines to Korea His Excellency Luis Cruz; National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) Deputy Director General Ronaldo Tungpalan; and Philippine Economic Zone Authority Director General Lilia De Lima.

The event was sponsored by Embassy of the Republic of Korea in the Philippines under the leadership of His Excellency Ambassador Choi Joong-Kyung and was organized by Korean EximBank, whose President, Dr.

Dong-soo Kim thanked the participants during the forum luncheon.

In his opening speech, Ambassador Choi said that since the Philippines has been Korea’s partner even during the Korean war, the two countries still remain in close ties.

“The two countries (RP and Korea) have more complementarities than we ever realize, thus we have the luxury of exploring the different tie-ups between us,” he said.

Ambassador Choi emphasized that now is the time to start large scale, government-to-government industrial partnerships for the two countries’ mutual progress.

One example of this is the Memorandum of Understanding for the feasibility study of the groundbreaking Multi-Industry Cluster Program which was recently signed between the Philippines and Korea.

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Inauguration of the Establishment of Early Warning and Monitoring System for Disaster

Mitigation in the Philippines - Iloilo Site

H.E. Ambassador Choi Joong-kyung, Resident Representative Kim In of KOICA Philippine Office, Deputy Director Seo Dong Sung of KOICA Headquarters and other Korean officials visited Iloilo last 15 May 2009 for the the Establishment of Early Warning and Monitoring System (EWS) for Disaster Mitigation in the Philippines project with DOST-PAGASA and the Provincial Government of Iloilo.

The inauguration ceremony, which was held at the Provincial Capitol of Iloilo, was led by Governor Neil Tupas who welcomed the Korean delegation and other guests to the province. He underscored the importance of the project in saving peoples’ lives in times of disasters and thanked the Korean Government for continuously helping the province in its development activities. He also welcomed the new KOICA project for the establishment of a Rice Processing Center in the Municipality of Pototan. Officer-in-Charge Nathaniel Servando of PAGASA gave a brief description of the project, explaining that the Iloilo project is composed of six rain gauges, two water level gauges and an Automatic Weather Station (AWS).

Sec. Estrella Alabastro of DOST remarked that the project would ensure the safety of the people of Iloilo during times of disasters by providing real time information on flood advisories and warnings. She called on the local community to work together with PAGASA and the Provincial Government in utilizing the project for their benefit. She ended her message by thanking the Korean Government and KOICA for its full support to DOST-PAGASA.

Ambassador Choi noted that the relevance of the project cannot be underscored enough, as many human lives have been lost and huge infrastructural, social and economic damages were incurred because of natural disasters such as the recent Typhoon Emong. He said that Iloilo will be protected more efficiently from weather-related hazards by introducing the community-based flood early warning system.

Sec. Alabastro and Gov. Tupas led the awarding of plaques of appreciation and citations to the local government officials who have taken part in the project. They also presented Amb. Choi and Res. Rep. Kim with plaques in recognition of their invaluable support to the project. Director Rowen Gelonga of DOST Region VI formally ended the ceremony by reminding everybody that the project is really all about saving peoples lives.

The ceremonial ribbon-cutting was then held at the Provincial Disaster Coordinating Council (PDCC) Office. PDCC Executive Secretary Jerry Bionat explained to the audience how the project works in forecasting weather and delivering warnings to the people. ×××

Groundbreaking Ceremony of the Establishment of the

Seafood Processing Facility in Dagupan City

Last 20 May 2009, H.E. Ambassador Choi Joong-kyung, Resident Representative Kim In of KOICA Philippine Office, Deputy Director Seo Dong Sung of KOICA Headquarters and other Korean officials visited Dagupan City for the groundbreaking ceremony of the Establishment of the Seafood Processing Facility in Dagupan City project with the City of Dagupan and the Department of Agriculture - BFAR/NIFTDC.

The ceremony was held at the project site in the National Integrated Fisheries Technology Development Center Compound, Bonuan Binloc, Dagupan City. Dir. Westly Rosario of NIFTDC Governor welcomed everybody to the future site of the Seafood Processing Facility. City Manager Alipio Vittorio Fernandez then explained the rationale of the project, saying that Dagupan is the ideal place for the project because of the distinct taste and quality of its seafood, particularly milkfish.

Congressman Jose De Venecia of the 4th District of Pangasinan and Amb. Choi led the laying of the time capsule at the project site grounds. The time capsule contains the initial blueprint of the Seafood Processing Facility.

Amb. Choi remarked that the project comes at a time when the two governments are intensifying its partnership in the development of Philippine agriculture. He added that by upgrading the aquaculture industry, the Seafood Processing Facility will help boost the country’s agricultural productivity.

Cong. De Venecia informed the audience that the project is the result of the Korean Parliament’s commitment to support agriculture development in Pangasinan. He also proposed to Amb. Choi the establishment in Pangasinan of a Korea- Philippines University. He explained that the proposed project would cement the legacy of Korea-Philippines bilateral relations.

Mayor Alipio Fernandez Jr. of Dagupan City ended the ceremony by expressing his and the people of Dagupan’s appreciation to the Korean Government and KOICA for its grant assistance. He said that with the establishment of the project, Dagupan seafood products will be able to compete in the international market.

After the ceremony, Cong. De Venecia hosted a lunch and media press conference at his residence. Amb. Choi explained to the media that the Philippines is a close partner of Korea because of blood ties during the Korean War and the two countries’ economic complementarities. He also said that Cong. De Venecia’s proposal for the Korea-Philippines University is a good idea and he would support in his full capacity. Res. Rep. Kim also informed the media about KOICA’s programs in the Philippines and its various types of aid. ×××

Turn-over Ceremony on Malinao Dam Improvement Feasibility Studies and Detailed

Design

H.E. Ambassador Choi Joong-kyung, Resident Representative Kim In of KOICA Philippine Office and Country Director Park Man Hwan of EDCF visited Bohol on 22-23 May 2009 to formally turn-over the completed Feasibility Studies and Detailed Design on the Improvement of Malinao Dam to the National Irrigation Administration and the Provincial Government of Bohol. They were joined by officials from the provincial government, K-Water and National Irrigation Authority.

Upon arrival in Bohol, the delegation went to the Provincial Capitol for a courtesy visit to Governor Erico Aumentado, where Amb. Choi was presented with the key to the province. NIA officials, led by Engr. Modesto Membreve, took the delegation to the Malinao Dam Project site. Mr.

Kim Yung Jin of K-Water showed and explained to Amb.

Choi the current state of Malinao Dam and the proposed construction works for its improvement. The delegation also passed by Bayongan Dam to see its eco-tourism component. This type of eco-tourism component is also being proposed by NIA and the Provincial Government for the Malinao Dam.

After the site visit, the delegation proceeded to the Bohol Beach Club in Panglao for the formal turn-over ceremony.

Present were officials from NIA and the Provincial Government as well as members of the local media. K- Water first introduced the project by showing a brief video of their project activities in Bohol and trainings in Korea.

In his message, Gov. Aumentado said he believes Korea will be the number one ODA donor in the Philippines and in Bohol in the coming years and that the Malinao Dam FS project would pave the way for the Stage 3 Bohol Irrigation Project. He also said that he will ask Pres. Gloria Macapagal- Arroyo to seek EDCF funding for the eventual Malinao Dam project as well as the Bohol Circumferential Road Project 3. Amb. Choi remarked that with the completion of the project, irrigation facilities could now be developed in Bohol, adding that such developments would further increase the agricultural productivity of the province.

A video presentation of the feasibility study result was then shown by K-Water to the audience. The video chronicled the project history and presented the proposed construction works for the improvement of Malinao Dam. The ceremony ended when Res. Rep. Kim formally turned-over the Feasibility Study documents to Eng. Membreve.×××

Korean Embassy, DND stage Scent of Korea Traditional Art

The Department of National Defense (DND) and Embassy of the Republic of Korea in the Philippines, on the 60th year of the RP-Korea Bilateral Relations and the declaration of 2009 as Friendship year for Filipinos and Koreans, hosted the Scent of Korea Traditional Art Performance last 26 June 2009 at the AFP Theater, Camp General Emilio Aguinaldo. This was co- hosted by the PEFTOK Veterans Inc.

Performers pose with Embassy officials and PEFTOK veterans The show featured nine (9) traditional dance and folk songs from Korea and performed by different Korean music and dance art troupes headed by Professor Jung Kyung Suk.

In his opening remarks, Ambassador Choi Joong-Kyung said that the event is a means to allow one nation to understand the culture of the other. The Korean envoy stated that the Philippine and Korean nations work well together because of cultural similarities and this relationship becomes a fertile ground for cooperation partnerships. “With your support, we can recreate the Korean economic miracle here, and boost the Philippines to the Global Top 20 economies,” Amb. Choi said.

The 3-hour show was viewed by employees form the DND and attached bureaus, delegates from the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the Philippine National Police, and Filipino war veterans and their families.×××

This is a publication of the Embassy of the Republic of Korea in the Philippines. News releases in this section were prepared and published by the staff of the Embassy, Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA), Korea EXIM/Economic Development Cooperation Fund (EDCF) and the Korea Trade Investment Promotion Agency (KOTRA), unless otherwise indicated.

For inquiries, suggestions or clarifications, please contact:

Cultural and Media Section

The Embassy of the Republic of Korea in the Philippines 10/F Pacific Star Bldg., Makati Ave, Makati City, Philippines

Tel (632)8116139/ 41 Fax (632) 8116148

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