SEOUL, 15 May 2016 - Philippine Ambassador to South Korea Raul S. Hernandez expounded on the official Philippine positions on the West Philippine Sea (WPS) as the main speaker at the informal Kapehan Forum on South China Sea (SCS) issues organized recently by the Embassy with the only Philippine student organization in Korea.

The forum, organized the Pinoy Iskolars sa Korea, Inc. (PIKO) at the Embassy Chancery's Rizal Hall on 15 May 2016, was the first officially organized by any Filipino organization in South Korea dedicated to the discussion of the dispute involving the Philippines, and five other claimants to 3.5 million square kilometre regional body of water.

Ambassador Hernandez informed the participants about the pending arbitration case unilaterally brought by the Philippines concerning the legality of China's "nine-dotted line" claim over most of the South China Sea under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). The Arbitral Tribunal is expected to issue its decision on the case soon.

The other two speakers at the Forum were Dr. Alan Lachica, professor of Catholic University of Daegu, and Ms. Lynette Callanta, a graduate student at the Seoul National University.

Dr Lachica made a brief explanation of the jurisdictional issue brought by the Philippines before the UNCLOS and its future impact on Philippines-Sino economic relationship, while Ms Callanta made a presentation about the historical background of the territorial disputes and the positions on the issue by six claimant states.

Following the presentations, the Kapehan entered into the group discussion led by Ambassador Hernandez, with the assistance of PIKO adviser Dr. Aileen Park, Philippine-born professor of South Korea's leading Yonsei University.

Ambassador Hernandez informed the group that based on the survey conducted in the Philippines in 2014, 83 percent the population became more aware of the issue in recent years. He also mentioned the efforts of Foreign Service posts to inform the public of the Philippine position on the South China Sea disputes by publishing articles on local newspapers.

Dr Park and other participants also recommended that the Philippine government should push through with the inclusion of the issue in the Philippines' school curriculum to instill a greater awareness on the issue among the youth.

The Kapehan Forum, an informal social gathering at which coffee is served, is the second of the "Kapehan" (Kaffeeklatsch) series held at the Philippine Embassy, which was established to coincide with PIKO's 10th anniversary this year.