15 October 2015 – Philippine Ambassador to South Korea Raul S. Hernandez and Mme. Maria Ana A. Hernandez welcomed to their official residence well-heeled and socially established alumni of one of Korea’s elite institutions of higher learning, Yonsei University.

The group, which is composed of 16 CEOs and senior level executives from the banking, food, IT, and retail industries, are participating in Yonsei University’s Cultural Tour of Foreign Embassies in Korea, a special program organized by the university’s Institute of Continuing Education for the Future (ICEF).

 “I am pleased to note that most of the participants are already familiar with the Philippines, having done several business transactions in the country. This is positive manifestation of the strong bonds of friendship between the Philippines and Korea through trade and investments and people-to-people exchanges,” said Ambassador Hernandez.

Now on its second semester, the 13-week program, conceptualized last year by ICEF Director Prof. Lee Doo-won, aims to expose executives from private firms and public institutions who graduated from Yonsei University to the history and traditions of selected countries through a cultural program hosted by Seoul-based ambassadors at their official residence or embassy chancery.

For the Philippine segment, Ambassador Hernandez hosted a dinner for the participants and organized a special cultural program which featured local performers singing a repertoire of Kundiman and Philippine folk songs. The program also doubled as a tourism event with the showing of promotional videos on the country’s best tourism destinations.

Over dinner, Ambassador Hernandez, assisted by Mme. Hernandez, presented the Filipino dishes served to the guests. The menu included traditional dishes such as kare-kare, adobo, rellenong bangus, pansit, and suman. Philippine fruits such as bananas, mangoes, and pineapples were also served.

Ambassador Hernandez also made a summary of the recent developments of the two countries’ bilateral relations in the fields of tourism, official development assistance, and defence cooperation.

The Ambassador also underscored the long history of friendship between the two countries, which started when the Philippines helped South Korea defend its freedom and democracy on the Korean Peninsula during the Korean War in 1950. He also mentioned Korea’s assistance in the rehabilitation and reconstruction of Tacloban during the aftermath of Typhoon Haiyan/Yolanda.

Speaking on behalf of the participants, Prof. Lee thanked Ambassador Hernandez and his other diplomatic counterparts participating in the program. “Without their understanding and help, this program would be meaningless,” he said. He also expressed appreciation for Yonsei University President Kap-Young Jeong, his staff and the busy participants.

Prof. Lee added that Ambassador Hernandez’s kind and positive gesture in accepting his proposal to hold the program at his official residence encouraged him to aim for a bigger number of participation of embassies. Since the program started in March 2015, 20 ambassadors – including the U.S., China, France and Spain – have participated or are committed to hosting events for it.

ICEF is an institute providing various kinds of non-degree, inter-disciplinary programs outside the regular curriculum of other departments of Yonsei University covering art, music, hobbies, literatures, and sports to adult citizens in Korea. Some 70,000 people have availed themselves of its educational programs in its 20 years of existence. END