By Honorary Reporter Helen Mae Cipriano from the Philippines
Photos = Helen Mae Cipriano  


The 28th Philippines–Korea Cultural Exchange Festival 2019 was held on Sept. 28 at Aliw Theater of the CCP Complex in Pasay; this is an annual event to celebrate and strengthen the bonds between the two countries. The organizers were the United Korean Community in the Philippines (UKCP), the Korean Embassy, the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA), the Korean Cultural Center (KCC) and the Korea Tourism Organization (KTO).

At 10 a.m., booths opened to offer attendees the opportunities to try on the traditional Korean dress Hanbok, sample Philippine and Korean foods, and receive freebies from the KCC, the KTO and other event sponsors.

The first part of the program was a talent competition for singing and dance. Koreans performed original Pilipino music (OPM) and Filipinos put on Korean songs. Hazel Dequit (Philippines) won the singing contest, followed by runner-up Yoon Dong-hyun (Korea) and third-place April Rose Tolentino (Philippines). In the dance category, VJBros took first place, followed by Fifth Shadow and Mixin.' The grand prize winner was singer Venisse Siy.

The main event started after 4 p.m. and was hosted by Shine Kuk and Pao Ocampo. After signing the national anthems of both nations, UKCP President Byun Jae-heung gave a welcoming speech followed by congratulatory remarks from Joseph Corpuz, chief of the NCCA's Plan/Policy Formulation and Programming Division, and Korean Ambassador to the Philippines Han Dong-man, who spoke in fluent Filipino. Exceptional performances followed by Taegeuk, the Philippine Madrigal Singers Choir, Dasuri Choi, Jean Kiley, Jinho Bae and SB19, the first all-Filipino group trained by a Korean agency. Shows featuring Philippine and Hanbok fashion were also held.

This year's event also bears special meaning since 2019 marks the 70th anniversary  of bilateral relations.



chaey0726@korea.kr

*This article is written by a Korea.net Honorary Reporter. Our group of Honorary Reporters are from all around the world, and they share with Korea.net their love and passion for all things Korean.