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Cultural Festival Rooted in 60 Years of Friendly Korean-Philippine Ties

By Jonathan Hicap
Korea Times Correspondent

MANILA ― From traditional music and dance to K-pop, the Korean Cultural Festival in the Philippines has become a showcase of the warm relations between Korea and the Philippines.

This year's festival marks the 60th year of diplomatic ties between the two countries, a relationship that started in 1949 when the Philippines recognized the Republic of Korea, which was established in 1948, following the separation of South and North Korea.

Korean Ambassador to the Philippines Choi Joong-kyung emphasized the common cultural and socio-economic interests between the two countries, including food and music.

Koreans are the number one tourist group in the Philippines. On the other hand, hallyu, or the Korean wave, has captivated Filipinos through Korean dramas and music.

The week-long celebration started with the "Taste Korea! Food Festival" held from Nov. 19 to 23 at the Shangri-La Plaza Hotel in Mandaluyong City.

Hundreds of people trooped to see and taste different Korean dishes and food, including kimchi, "bibimbap" and "surasang". The event was opened by Ambassador Choi, Philippine Foreign Affairs Secretary Alberto Romulo and Philippine Science and Technology Secretary Estrella Alabastro.

Spectators also got to witness Korean cooking demonstrations and exhibits featuring Korean agricultural products.

Dance and music were the highlights of the festival with three anticipated performances at the Cultural Center of the Philippines from Nov. 25 to 27.

A gala concert titled "Dance of Chun-Hyang" was performed by the National Dance Company of Korea (NDCK), which has become the cultural ambassador for Korea following their participation in international events, including the Olympics and the 2002 FIFA World Cup.

Ambassador Choi and Philippine Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita graced the event.

"By appreciating each other's culture, economic ties can actually be enhanced. By combining the Philippines' natural resources with Korea's industrial experience, I believe the two countries can create a win-win economic model", said Choi in an interview with Arirang TV.

The "Dance of Chun-Hyang" tells the love story between the legend Chun-Hyang and Mongryong during the Choson Kingdom period in Korea.

The following day, the audience was treated to a spell-binding performance by Noreum-Machi, a percussion music group that performed Samulnori, "a modernized stage adaptation of "pungmul nori", which is a ritualistic celebration that originated from shamanism and animism, and which is performed by rice farmers and professional musicians at harvest festivals".

But the third and final event proved to be the most anticipated part of the festival.

On Nov. 27, Arirang TV and Philippine TV station National Broadcasting Network (NBN) staged the K-pop concert at the CCP, featuring pop idol group SHINee, rap duo Mighty Mouth and jazz group Winterplay together with Filipino reggae band Brownman Revival.

As early as 9 a.m., fans of SHINee were already outside the concert venue, hoping to catch a glimpse of their idols. SHINee flew to Manila the night before minus member Taemin, who was recuperating from swine flu in Seoul.

Onew, Jonghyun, Key and Choi Minho came to the Philippines for the concert.

Since the announcement of SHINee's participation in the concert in October, online K-pop fan forums have been flooded with inquiries.

A week before the concert, the Arirang TV Web site announced that 360 concert tickets would be raffled off to fans. As a result, Arirang TV received more than 8,000 entries for the limited seats.

Giselle Lorica, 17, one of the lucky fans who got a ticket, said she was very excited to see SHINee.

"Oh my God. I will finally get to see Jonghyun!" she told The Korea Times.

Sarah, who traveled to the concert venue from Mandaluyong City, said she felt nervous.

"This is a dream come true", she said, adding that she's been a long time fan of SHINee. The fans even spent money to buy SHINee T-shirts that they wore during the concert.

SHINee's performance was the finale of the event. Despite only four members being present since Taemin was nursing swine flu in Korea, the group performed their hit songs "Juliette" from their "Romeo" album released early this year; "Stand by Me", a track that is part of the original soundtrack of the Korean adaptation of the hit TV drama "Boys over Flowers"; and "Ring Ding Dong", their latest single which has garnered numerous awards.

During the press conference after the concert, SHINee said they were surprised to learn that they had so many fans in the Philippines.

If the group tours Asia, the Philippines will most likely be included on the itinerary, SHINee told The Korea Times.

Since their debut last year, SHINee has been very busy with TV appearances to promote their songs.

When asked by the Korea Times on how often they get to see and communicate with their parents, the group said gadgets like mobile phones enable them to talk to their parents every day.

Based on the overwhelming response of Filipinos, the Korean Cultural Festival proved to be a success.

Ambassador Choi said the ties between Korea and the Philippines would continue and encouraged Filipino and Korean youths to forge friendships and cooperation for the benefit of both countries.

"If we work hand in hand, you are the main players in the coming 60 years", he said.
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SHINee, a Korean pop idol group, performs before a Filipino audience during a K-pop concert in Manila, on Nov. 27. / Korea Times Photo by Jonathan Hicap

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