I think we were meant to visit this place! The Korean Cultural Center in the Philippines (KCC), that is!

Before I flew out of the Philippines after my vacation, I spent a few nights in Manila to buy my favorites goodies to bring to Seoul, and to meet up with friends who used to live in Seoul.

Saira posing at the KCC lobby.

Saira and her family used to live in the Yongsan District in Seoul. And while we were driving around the Bonifacio Global City in Metro Manila, I spotted a signage looked familiar: 한국문화원 Korean Cultural Center! We just had to drop by the place! The Korean Cultural Center (KCC) is on a building at the 32nd Street of Bonifacio Global City. It’s near St. Luke’s Hospital.

Saira was born in Seoul about nine years ago. She still has fun memories of her early years in Korea through her family photos when her mom and dad would carry her around for a stroll in the Nam-san area, in Itaewon and other places in Seoul. I once saw Saira, her mom and a babysitter enjoying a late afternoon in Itaewon; Saira was still in a stroller then.

On her first (and certainly not the last!) KCC visit, Saira re-connected with the Korean culture through the Center’s exhibits, displays, and photographs. Although Saira now lives in Manila, she can still learn more about her country of birth through the KCC. Saira also loves fashion and Korean souvenirs, by the way.

The Center is on its fourth year, and it’s still getting more popular with more visitors dropping by every day.

So, for Filipinos in Manila who love K-pop music and Korean dramas, or Filipinos who want to learn  Korean cooking and the Korean language, or even K-pop dancing, the Korean Cultural Center has classes for you. And who knows? Someday, Saira may join these classes, too!

Here’s the website of KCC:

http://phil.korean-culture.org/welcome.do

By Alfonso Delgado for the Korea Blog