GOYANG, 7 November 2014 – Philippine Ambassador to Korea Raul S. Hernandez joined the members of the diplomatic corps in Seoul in a special fashion show showcasing colorful national costumes at the 2014 Global Costume Festival, held at the Korea International Exhibition Center in Goyang City, a city some 20 km northwest of Seoul.

The main event of the Festival hosted annually by the Korean Cultural Association (KCA) was the National Costume and Hanbok Fashion Show which drew the participation of 31 embassies, including Dominican Republic, Egypt, Germany, India, Papua New Guinea, and Russia. Ambassadors and spouses also dressed up in designer hanbok, Korea’s traditional costume. “I wish to congratulate KCA President Mr. Jeong Jae Min for once again bringing the world’s costume culture together in one harmonious event,” said Ambassador Hernandez, who showed off a barong tagalog woven using jusi (banana silk) down a catwalk as the Philippines’ representative costume. To promote Philippine culture and tourism, the Philippine Embassy displayed materials provided by the Department of Tourism at the Philippine booth on 7-9 November, detailing the best destinations in the country as well as handicrafts, costumes and a miniature jeepney. Kusina, a well-known Filipino restaurant in the emerging hip district of Haebangchon near Itaewon, opened a stall selling Philippine snacks such as turon (banana fritters), puto (steamed rice cake) and kutchinta (steamed rice cake). Since it was established by Mr. Jeong and his spouse in 1984, KCA has played a leading role in active cultural exchanges with embassy with resident representations in Seoul. KCA organizes cultural events such as lectures, fashion show, culture festivals and tour and scholarship programs involving the diplomatic corps. The event coincided with the Gyeonggi Province International Travel Mart organized by the Gyeonggi Tourism Organization held at the same venue. More than 40 local and international travel agencies and tourism organizations like the Gyeonggi International Medical Association and the Gyeonggi-do Province Office participated in the event.