EMBASSY OF THE REPUBLIC
OF THE PHILIPPINES


SEOUL REPUBLIC OF KOREA

news

Philippines Joins 2024 Busan-ASEAN Esports Global Exchange


12 December 2024, Busan. The Philippine Embassy in Korea represented by Ambassador Theresa Dizon-De Vega took part in the opening program for the 2024 Busan-ASEAN Esports Global Exchange which took place on November 29, 2024, at the Busan Esports Arena. The event was organized by the Busan Metropolitan City, Busan Global City Foundation (BGCF), and the Busan IT Industry Promotion Agency (BIPA). The event aimed to foster cultural exchange and promote the growing esports industry among youth from Busan and ten ASEAN countries, including the Philippines.

The event featured a competitive tournament with teams of four representing different ASEAN nations. Over 2,500 spectators attended over the course of the competition sessions, and the competition culminated in an award ceremony where the top three teams were recognized. Competing teams came from schools with a high concentration of multicultural students in the Busan Metropolitan Area.

Among the special guests at the opening event were Busan Vice Mayor for Administrative Affairs Lee Jun-seung, BGCF CEO Jun Yong-Woo, BIPA CEO Kim Tae-yeol, and ASEAN Culture House Director General Lee In Hyuck.

In his welcoming remarks BGCF CEO Jun Yong-Woo underscored the event’s role in fostering more collaboration among ASEAN countries and Busan in the key emerging sectors of gaming and digital innovation. Busan Vice Mayor Lee Jun Seung in his keynote remarks emphasized Busan’s commitment to becoming a global Esports hub and touted the construction of city’s esports arena as a major step forwards towards this goal. He expressed appreciation to nationals from ASEAN countries for taking part in the event.

In her congratulatory remarks, Ambassador Dizon-de Vega shared that Esports is fast becoming a popular platform for sports and innovation engagement between ASEAN and Korea in general and with ROK innovation hubs like Busan, in particular. She likewise noted that in ASEAN there has been a surge in Esports popularity and that the Philippines as host of the 2019 SEA Games was the first country to present Esports as a medal competition sport in the SEAG. Increasing interest in Esports has led to the offering of a four-year university degree in Esports Science at the Lyceum of the Philippines.

Representatives from each ASEAN country received their official competition armbands from the special guests at the event.

Busan has been the longtime host of the G-Star Convention, one of the largest gaming conventions in the world and where there is regular participation from Philippine gaming and related companies. END

Other News


September 19, 2025
PHILIPPINES CALLS FOR RESPONSIBLE COMPETITION AND STRATEGIC COOPERATION AT SEOUL DEFENSE DIALOGUE 2025

Seoul, Republic of Korea — At the 2025 Seoul Defense Dialogue (SDD), Philippine Secretary of National Defense Gilberto C. Teodoro called on the international community to embrace responsible competition, uphold international law, and prioritize inclusive security mechanisms in addressing today’s most pressing geopolitical challenges. Participating in the high-level forum under the theme “Confronting Geopolitical Challenges: Building Peace through Cooperation,” Teodoro emphasized the urgency of strengthening multilateral institutions and promoting dialogue amid global instability. The Philippine Embassy in Seoul, led by Deputy Head of Mission Edwin Gil Q. Mendoza, supported the Secretary and his delegation throughout the dialogue. 

Read More
September 16, 2025
PHILIPPINE EMBASSY IN KOREA WELCOMES NEW AMBASSADOR

Seoul, Republic of Korea - The Philippine Embassy in Korea welcomed its new Ambassador, Her Excellency Bernadette Therese C. Fernandez, Chief of Mission Class I, who arrived in Seoul on 15 September 2025 to formally assume her post as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of the Philippines to the Republic of Korea. She was accompanied by her spouse, the Honorable Francisco Noel R. Fernandez III, Director General of the Foreign Service Institute. 

Read More
September 08, 2025
PHILIPPINE EMBASSY WELCOMES KDIS-DAP INTERNATIONAL SHUTTLE COURSE ON DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION DELEGATES

04 September 2025, Seoul – The Philippine Embassy in Seoul, led by Chargé d’Affaires, a.i. Edwin Gil Q. Mendoza, welcomed Former Senator Francis Tolentino, local chief executives and national government officials participating in the International Shuttle Course (ISC) on Digital Transformation in the Public Sector program of the Development Academy of the Philippines (DAP) and Korea Development Institute School of Public Policy and Management (KDIS) on 02 September 2025. During their visit, the delegation were given a brief overview by Embassy officials of the relations between the Philippines and the Republic of Korea.  In his remarks, CDA a.i. Mendoza acknowledged the important role of local government units in strengthening engagement with other countries. “Diplomacy begins where our people live, in our towns, cities and provinces. It begins with our local government officials who build the trust and confidence of citizens every single day. In several cases, domestic policy informs foreign policy,” he said. Third Secretary and Vice Consul Reisha Olavario presented an overview of PH-ROK relations covering key aspects of bilateral relations and shared ROK’s best practices in digital transformation that may be applied by local government units in the Philippines. Former Senator Tolentino, Mission Leader of DAP-ISC, reaffirmed the outstanding relations between the Philippines and the Republic of Korea. During his term as the Vice Chairman of the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, Senator Tolentino provided instrumental support for the bilateral free trade agreement and defense procurement projects between both nations. As the proponent of the DAP Adaptive Governance and Innovation for Local Executives (AGILE) Program, the former Senator encouraged the delegates to continue working for a better and connected Philippines. Professor Hai-young Yun, Assistant Dean of External Relations of KDIS expressed appreciation for the support extended by the Embassy to its programs, stressing the important role the latter plays in helping delegates gain a deeper understanding of the multi-faceted relations between the Philippines and the ROK. The Philippine Embassy in Seoul continues to emphasize the importance of sub-national diplomacy by supporting capacity-building and knowledge-exchange activities such as DAP-ISC.  By focusing on digital transformation and innovation in governance, the DAP-ISC program harnesses ROK leadership in technology for public service delivery and helps local government units translate these lessons into context with strategies that will empower communities and make cities more efficient, responsive and future-ready. END

Read More