The Philippine Consulate General in Busan was inaugurated in late January to better serve Filipinos living in the southern areas of Korea. The office, located on 1927 Jungang Ave. in Guseo-dong, will start providing consular services from March 1 to residents in Busan, Ulsan, Daegu, Gwangju, Changwon, Gimhae, Muan and Jejudo Island.

Services include issuing visas to foreigners, authenticating Korean documents for use in the Philippines, certifying driver’s licenses, assisting intelligence organizations with fingerprinting processes and certifying student documents.

“The consulate general will serve those faraway from Seoul who are all important to us,” Philippine Ambassador Raul S. Hernandez said at the inaugural ceremony in Busan on Jan. 28, in front of some 220 guests.

“They include technicians working in heavy industries in Geojedo Island, lounge singers at hotels in Busan, university professors in Daegu, housewives in Seogwipo Island, translators in Mokpo, students in Gwangju and factory workers in Gimhae.”

Noting that some 15,000 Filipinos live in the newly served areas, including over 5,000 in Busan, the ambassador said bilateral people-to-people exchanges have been rising through business, work, education, research, culture and marriage.

“My first trip to the Philippines and continued interaction with the locals gave me a great insight on true friendship and mutual understanding,” Honorary Consul General An Sang-wook said. “The warmth of the Filipinos has ignited a spirit of love in my heart and inspired me to commit myself to help them in whatever way I could.”

One of 183 honorary consul officers worldwide working for the Philippines, An received his bachelor’s and doctoral degrees from St. Dominic Savio College in Caloocan City, and now works as a professor of social welfare at Kosin University in Busan.

Honorary consuls or consul generals are prominent local business leaders, scholars, retired government officials or politicians who are appointed to facilitate relations between countries through pragmatic diplomacy. They do not enjoy the same privileges as diplomats, such as immunity from domestic laws and regulations.

Rep. Jasmine Lee, a naturalized Korean citizen originally from the Philippines, said the two countries have progressively enhanced friendship, with her native nation being the first out of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations to establish diplomatic relations with Korea.

Hong Seong-hwa, ambassador for international relations of Busan, pointed out that the Philippines greatly helped Korea in times of need, sending over 7,150 soldiers during the Korean War (1950-53), from which some 100 lost their lives.

During the 1960s, he said, many young Koreans went to the Philippines to study and return home to contribute to economic development. In the 1970s, the “Tongil rice” developed by the Philippines International Rice Research Institute helped Korea reduce poverty, leading to a “green revolution.”

“In return, many young Filipinos today are working at Korean companies and universities and contributing to the nation’s economic development and educational exchanges,” Hong added.

Celebrating the fifth anniversary of their sister partnership, Busan will invite civil servants, teachers and students from Cebu for educational and vocational training covering agricultural and urban development in May.

Leaders of Filipino communities and representatives of Busan-based consular corps were in attendance, including Japanese Consul General Sadao Matsui, U.S. Consul General Dae B. Kim and Russian Vice Consul Roman Bykov, as well as those of Belgium, Ivory Coast, El Salvador, Germany and Myanmar.

By Joel Lee (joel@heraldcorp.com)