Korea is a record holder in the Philippines: No.1 for number of tourists, investors and foreign students enrolled in English as second language (ESL) institutes

These ranks carry an implication for the new ambassador in Korea as he brainstorms for the 60th anniversary of Korea-Philippines diplomatic ties. "We are going to publish a coffee-table book. We will invite Korean photographers to shoot Philippine sites, and Filipino photographers will come to Korea. We will put them in one book," Ambassador Luis Cruz told The Korea Times. "It is one way of capturing the vibrancy and dynamism of people-to-people contact between Koreans and Filipinos through the lenses of photographers." The Philippines established diplomatic ties with Korea in March 1949, and numbers are clear signals of how close relations between the two countries have grown. The number of tourists has jumped to over half a million, exceeding tourists from Japan and the United States, he said. Korea Electric Power Corporation, the second biggest foreign investor, and Hanjin, a large Korean shipbuilder, create thousands of jobs in a society where the unemployment rate hovers over 7 percent. The second project Hanjin will carry out, worth $2 billion, would create more than 50,000 new jobs as it did, the ambassador in traditional attire says. "There are many benefits we can derive from these investments." The Philippines is a popular retirement destination for Koreans. Moving ahead of the trend, the government began to issue retirement visas, through which anyone older than 34 can apply. "It is getting popular in Korea now, and Koreans are the No. 1 applicants," he said. Asked about the merits that led to the influx of Korean retirees, the ambassador answered climate and affordability. Climate is mild throughout the year, and $2,000 a month can guarantee them affluent lives, he said. Another convenience is the short distance between Korea and the Philippines and frequent direct flights. Flights between Incheon and Manila have steadily grown, reaching nearly 19,000 seats per week one way. He is, in particular, pleased with the number of Korean students who come to the Philippines to study English. Last year alone, the figure reached 111,000, Cruz said, which included the number of Korean students enrolling in formal education such as colleges. English is an official language in the Philippines along with Filipino. It is one of the remnants of American rule between 1902 and 1946. The Philippines declared its independence in July 1946. The ambassador is appreciative of the influence of language, as it benefits Filipino competitive power and the nation's economy. International corporations like Dell, an American computer company, outsource their customer service call centers to the Philippines using local English speakers. These create job opportunities, and are very popular among young jobseekers, the ambassador said, because they are well-paid jobs. Likewise, earnings from ESL institutes make visible contributions to the nation's economy, earning hundreds of thousands of dollars from foreign students every year. He expects the number will continue to grow, especially when the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)-Korea Center opens this year in Seoul. "It is going to be the first international organization that the Korean government hosts. It will promote trade, investment, tourism and education. If there's a student who'd like to enroll at a Philippine school, you can either visit the embassy or the center. It is part of an agreement made last November and ratified by the Korean National Assembly," Cruz said. It will be inaugurated in August. ASEAN is a 41-year-old organization of 10 Southeast Asian states. Korea joined after the 1997 Asian financial crisis with Japan and China, as a forum called ASEAN+3. Having served for two years as director general of the ASEAN division at the Foreign Ministry prior to his post in Korea, the ambassador laid out what he sees as the ultimate aim of ASEAN. "We have already set 2015. By then, we will have an ASEAN community, meaning it will be a borderless community where there is free movement of capital and professions. It's almost like the European Union," the ambassador said, encouraging swift completion of the free trade agreement between ASEAN and Korea. A vast geographical expansion with a population of 560 million will be a huge commercial market. By 2015, all tariffs will be completely dropped among the member states, he added. Korea-ASEAN free trade negotiations are under way separately by sectors. An agreement on commodities came into full force beginning June last year. An agreement on the service sector was signed last November and is awaiting ratification. Negotiations on investment are now underway. Taken from The Korea Times, 25 May 2008 skim@koreatimes.co.krA