Seoul, 07 October 2013 – The Philippine Embassy in Seoul teamed up with the Philippine Department of Tourism (DOT) in Korea and the Seoul Metropolitan Government to assist the Pinoy Iskolars sa Korea (PIKO) in organizing on Sunday, 6 October 2013 an “Amazing Race”-style competition for young Korean and expat residents of Seoul.

“Tara Na: Finding the Philippines in Seoul” took a unique approach in popularizing the Philippines by getting participating three-member teams to stop at each site and do different tasks related to Philippine culture. The first to complete the course will receive prizes worth 300,000 won ($270), with second and third prizes of 250,000 won and 200,000 won, respectively, sponsored by Western Union. Filipinos were not allowed to join the race.

The race, whose format is better known among Hallyu fans as “Running Man”, started at the DOT showroom in front of the Seoul City Hall, and tasked the competitors aged 18-30 to do the following tasks: sell Philippine-made mangoes in the center to the city, answer questions about the Philippine Expeditionary Forces in Korea (PEFTOK) participation in the Korean War at Cheonggye Stream, participate in traditional Filipino children’s games at the National Children's Museum of Korea located inside the main royal Gyeongbokgung Palace, and eat balut (duck eggs) at the Filipino market in Seoul’s Hyehwa district before finishing at the Philippine Embassy in the Gyeongnidan district of Itaewon.

“Instead of a normal, cliched cultural event where you just show to the public a cultural presentation, we wanted it to be different, an interactive one where Koreans and foreign nationals get to experience the culture themselves first-hand,” said PIKO public relations officer Ronel Laranjo.

The race was documented in photos and videos by the Filipino Photographers in South Korea (FILIPOS), led by its head, Marcel Pagala. PIKO President Eva Wang guested on Arirang TV to talk about the event.

“Finding the Philippines in Seoul is not just about the objects, the places or the weird food you ate: it is also about getting to know and making friends with Filipinos,” First Secretary and Consul Deric Atienza told the participants in congratulatory remarks at the Closing Ceremony of the contest in the Embassy.

The winners from Germany, Korea, and Vietnam, finished just over 100 minutes, a mere 30 seconds before the runners-up. A total of eight teams with members ranging from students and young professionals from Germany, Sweden, Finland, Vietnam, South Sudan, Greece, Canada, to American servicemen working at the US Army Garrison Yongsan participated in the event.

Philippine Airlines also sponsored a return ticket to the Philippines for one of the participants in a raffle draw.

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