SEOUL, 28 January 2016 – Philippine Ambassador to Korea Raul S. Hernandez inaugurated the Consulate General in Busan and led the oath of office of Honorary Consul General An Sang-wook in ceremonies attended by a spill-over crowd, including leaders of Filipino community, at the city's north central Gumjeong District on Thursday, 28 January 2016.

"I am pleased and proud that we have chosen none other than Dr. An Sang-wook to head our mission here," Ambassador Hernandez told some 220 guests at the inauguration ceremony. “The future is bright for Philippine-Korean relations, as the potential contribution of the mission here in Busan to our bilateral relations is far from inconsiderable."

"Dr An not only cares deeply about the Philippine workers, he has also been trying to offer solutions to their concerns," said the main guest, ruling Saenuri Party legislator Kim Se-yeon, who has represented Geumjeong District in the 18th and 19th National Assembly of Korea, citing the 5,000 Filipino multicultural families and migrant workers in Busan.

Another fellow member from the National Assembly, Philippine-born Rep. Jasmine Lee, characterized the opening of the Philippine Consulate General in Busan as “meaningful since Busan is the most active city in the international exchanges among local municipalities and became a hub-city for ASEAN-KOREA relations after ASEAN-KOREA Commemorative Summit."

Representing Busan Mayor Suh Byung-soo, Hong Seonghwa, Ambassador for International Relations of Busan Metropolitan City, said the new consulate general's opening marks the 5th anniversary of the sisterhood ties between Busan and Cebu.

Ambassador Hong said Busan will invite teachers and students from Cebu for educational training in May and will further organize training sessions on agriculture and urban development for Cebu-based civil servants. "Busan pledges to exert utmost to support the success of the Philippine Consulate General," he emphasized.

Complementing the work of the Busan Metropolitan Administration, Alok K. Roy, Secretary General of the Busan Foundation for International Activities (BFIA), also voiced his support for Honorary Consul General An. BFIA is a non-profit organization founded in November 2005 to provide various cultural and educational activities and useful information for foreigners in Busan.

Apart from Busan, Korea's second biggest city, Honorary Consul General An will be responsible for the special metropolitan areas of Ulsan, Daegu, Gwangju as well as the provinces of South Gyeongsang, South Jeolla, and Jeju Island.

Representatives of Busan-based consular corps also in attendance, led by Japanese Consul General in Busan Sadao Matsui, U.S. Consul Dae B. Kim of the American Presence Post in Busan, and Vice Consul Roman Bykov of the Russian Consulate General, as well as honorary consuls of Belgium, Côte d'Ivoire, El Salvador, Germany, and Myanmar, among others.





Also present were representatives of Filipino community organizations in Busan, Daegu, Ulsan, Changwon, Gimhae, and Muan, as well as members of the International Christian Alliance of Fundamental Church, Association of Filipino Educators in Korea (AFEK), the Busan chapter of the Pinoy Iskolars sa Korea (PIKO).

Consul General An, a bachelor and PhD degree holder of St Dominic Savio College in Caloocan City and now professor of social welfare at private Kosin University in Busan, took his oath as the third native son to become honorary consul general for the Philippines since Lee Eun-kyu was appointed in 2000, and the first since Lee Geun-cheol resigned from his duties in 2007.

He is also among one of 183 honorary consul officers the Philippines has in 100 countries and regions around the world. As of early January 2016, Dr An was one of 135 such honorary consuls representing more than 107 countries, including the Philippines, in the Republic of Korea.

Being away in Seoul for the University Presidents Council, Kosin University President Chun Kwang-sik could not attend the new Philippine consulate general's inauguration ceremony but he sent Dr Rim Hak, President of the Kosin University Gospel Hospital and Executive Vice President for Medical Affairs, to read his congratulatory message to the guests.

"Today I applaud Honorary Consul General, Dr An, knowing quite well that his service will strengthen the relationship between the Philippines, Korea, and Kosin University," President Chun said. "I sincerely hope that not only the Philippine students and Kosin University students will make friendly relations, but also that the Philippines and Korea's bilateral relations will be more cordial and stronger than before though the new Honorary Consul General."

From the Embassy in Seoul, First Secretary and Consul General Roderico C. Atienza, Defense and Armed Forces Attaché Col. Francis Eugenio L. Lardizabal, Tourism Attaché Maricon Basco-Ebron, Labor Attaché Felicitas Q. Bay, and Social Welfare Attaché Lucita Villanueva lent their support to the opening.

Honorary consuls or consuls general are prominent local business or retired political leaders or government officials appointed to assist in fostering friendship and cooperation between the foreign country he or she represents and South Korea. They do not enjoy the same privileges as diplomatic officers, such as immunity from domestic laws and regulations.

The Consulate General in Busan is authorized to issue visas to non-restricted foreign nationals, authenticate Korean documents for use in the Philippines, certify drivers' licenses from the Land Transport Office (LTO) that have been authenticated by the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), facilitate the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) fingerprinting process, and certify students' documents that have been authenticated by the Commission for Higher Education and the DFA.

The chancery of the new Philippine Consulate General is located on the third floor of 1927 Jungang Avenue in Guseo-dong of Busan's Geumjeong District. It may be accessed through Exit 1 of Dusil Station on Busan Subway Line 1 headed toward Nopo Station, where it adjoins Busan's major express bus terminal.