15 January 2016 – The Korean government has confirmed the Philippines’ appointment of an Honorary Consul General in Busan, with most areas in the southern regions of South Korea, in ceremonies held at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) in Seoul on January 08.

MOFA Chief of Protocol Yoon Yeo-cheol read the exequatur signed by Korea’s Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se on December 21, 2015 to Mr. An Sang-wook, professor of social welfare at Ko-shin University in Busan, and witnessed by Philippine Ambassador to South Korea Raul S. Hernandez and Ambassador Kang Young-hoon, Director General of MOFA’s South Asia and Pacific Bureau.

Apart from Busan, South Korea’s second-biggest city, Philippine Honorary Consul General An will be responsible for the special metropolitan areas of Ulsan, Daegu, Gwangju as well as the provinces of South Gyeongsang, South Jeolla, and Jeju Island.

Also witnessing the ceremony were MOFA Director General for Protocol Affairs Lee Jung-il, the Philippine Embassy’s First Secretary and Consul General Roderico C. Atienza, MOFA Director for Diplomatic Mission Jang Ho-seung, and Honorary Consul for Haiti Yu Seung-pil, dean of the Korean Honorary Consuls Corps.

Honorary Consul General An thanked the MOFA officials and expressed to Ambassador Hernandez his commitment to “enhance safeguard and interest to promote good relations among people, build and promote strong economic and cultural understanding” between the Philippines and the Republic of Korea.

Honorary consuls or consuls general are prominent local business or retired political leaders