PH Embassy in Seoul Participates in the 2019 Itaewon Global Village Festival
The Philippine-Republic of Korea Bayanihan Parade at the Itaewon Global Village Festival on 12 October 2019. (Seoul PE photo)
SEOUL 11 November 2019 – The Philippine Embassy in Seoul, led by Ambassador to Republic of Korea Noe A. Wong, successfully headed the Philippine participation in the 2019 Itaewon Global Village Festival on 12 October 2019.
The Philippines’ participation this year is one of the commemorative activities of the Embassy to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the establishment of Philippine-Republic of Korea Diplomatic Relations.
“From the Philippines, with whom Korea marks 70 years of diplomatic relations, we thank Philippine Ambassador Noe A. Wong, for allowing the traditional performance group and parade team to liven up the festival parade,” Yongsan-gu Mayor Sung Jang-hyun said in his remarks.
For his part, Ambassador Wong underscored the deep friendship between the two countries, mentioning that, “2019 is an important year for us as we celebrate the 70th anniversary of the establishment of Philippines-Republic of Korea bilateral relations. This friendship between our two countries is defined by our shared history during the Korean War and is, in modern times, underpinned by our strong cooperation in all fields.”
The Philippine-Republic of Korea Parade at the Itaewon Global Village Festival showcased the local Higantes Festival of Angono, Rizal as well as local Filipino traditional dances such as tinikling and bulaklakan. Close to 400 Filipino and Korean nationals from various sectors in the local community participated in the parade. The PH contingent was the largest among the 14 country-participants.
Apart from participating in the Global Parade, the Philippines, together with 36 other countries, operated cultural booths at the Festival. At the Philippine booth, people were invited to try on traditional Philippine attire and take a picture with one of the many tourist destinations in the country as their backdrop. Souvenir products, such as mini-higantes figurines and shirts from Angono were also on sale at the booth.
Completing the Philippine participation in this year’s festival is the Philippine performance at the World Culture Contest. The Philippines, represented by the Korea-Filipino Community in Daegu, bested 11 other countries and bagged the gold prize with their performance of singkil, a folk dance of the Maranao people based on the epic legend Darangen.
The Itaewon Global Village Festival, held every fall, brings together a fun mix of Korean traditions and foreign cultures and stands out as one of the most internationally diverse celebrations in Seoul. END
Ambassador to the Republic of Korea Noe A. Wong delivers his remarks at the Opening Ceremony of the 2019 Itaewon Global Village Festival on 12 October 2019. (Seoul PE photo)
Ambassador Wong together with Madame Maria Elena Wong pose with the members of the Korea-Filipino Community in Daegu after their winning performance at the World Culture Performance of the Itaewon Global Village Festival. (Seoul PE photo)
For more information, visit https://www.seoulpe.dfa.gov.ph, https://www.philembassy-seoul.com or https://www.facebook.com/PHinKorea/.