SEOUL, 27 July 2016 ? A delegation consisting of nine outstanding Filipino youths selected by the National Youth Commission (NYC) for participation in the 2016 Philippines-Korea Youth Exchange Program on 20-29 July 2016, called on Philippine Ambassador to Korea Raul S. Hernandez at the Embassy Chancery on Thursday, 21 July 2016.

The 10-day program organized by the Korea Youth Work Agency (KYWA), an institute affiliated with the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family (MOGEF), aims to enhance interest and understanding about Korean culture through a homestay program and cultural site visits around Seoul, and to Suwon and Yeoncheon in Gyeonggi Province, Seocheon in South Chungcheong Province, and Jeonju. Starting 2013, KYWA has promoted various projects through the Korea Youth Exchange Centre (KYEC) in order to equip young men and women with professional attributes and leadership skills to ensure the necessary self-confidence and sense of accountability required of young global citizens in the future. The Philippine delegation, which was led by Ms Marielou A. Chua of NYC and accompanied on the courtesy call to the Embassy by two KYEC officers Ms Joo Mira and Mr Kang Wan-sub, was made up of eight undergraduate students from different campuses in the University of the Philippines’ system and one graduate student from the University of Batangas. The Filipino delegates are among 300 youths from 19 countries, including Brunei and three other ASEAN countries, as well as Bulgaria, Japan, Mexico, Russia, Turkey and the UAE, visiting Korea from April to November to enhance mutual understanding, friendship and cooperation through activities such as classes, excursions, and company study visits. Korea’s International Youth Exchange Program was initiated in 1979 through the Korea-Malaysia Youth Interchange Agreement executed in 1965. The Philippines and Korea signed the MOU on Cooperation in the Field of Youth in 1996. As of April 2016, 34 countries have signed agreements with Korea, with 10,498 participants having joined the program by 2015. ? END?