14 October 2019, Seoul ? The Philippine Embassy, headed by PH Ambassador to ROK Noe A. Wong, successfully led the Philippine participation at the 2019 Itaewon Global Village Festival, Seoul's representative global culture festival.

The Philippines' participation this year is one of the commemorative activities of the Embassy to celebrate the 70th Anniversary of the Establishment of PH-ROK Diplomatic Relations. This was highlighted by Yongsan-gu Mayor Sung Jang-hyun in his remarks. "From the Philippines, with whom Korea marks 70 years of diplomatic relations, we thank Philippine Ambassador Noe A. Wong, for allowing the traditional performance group and parade team to liven up the festival parade," Mayor Sung said.

For his part, Ambassador Wong also underscored the deep friendship between the two countries, mentioning that "2019 is an important year for us as we celebrate the 70th anniversary of the establishment of Philippines-South Korea bilateral relations. This friendship between our two countries is defined by our shared history during the Korean War and is, in modern times, underpinned by our strong cooperation in all fields."

The PH-ROK Parade at the Itaewon Global Village Festival showcased the local Higantes Festival of Angono, Rizal as well as local Filipino traditional dances such as tinikling and bulaklakan. Close to 400 Filipino and Korean nationals from various sectors in the local community participated in the PH-ROK Bayanihan Parade. The PH contingent was the largest among the 14 countries that participated in the Global Parade.

Apart from participating in the Global Parade, the Philippines, together with 36 other countries, operated cultural booths at the Festival. At the Philippine booth, people were invited to try on traditional Philippine attire and take a picture with one of the many tourist destinations in the country as their backdrop. Souvenir products, such as mini higantes figurines and shirts from Angono were also on sale at the booth.

Completing the PH participation in this year's festival is the Philippine performance at the World Culture Contest. The Philippines, represented by the Korea-Filipino Community in Daegu, bested 11 other countries and bagged the gold prize with their performance of singkil, a folk dance of the Maranao people based on the epic legend Darangen.

Through this special event, the Philippines successfully highlighted the significance of 70 years of the bilateral relationship between the Philippines and Korea and further enhance mutual understanding between its peoples.

The Itaewon Global Village Festival, held every fall, brings together a fun mix of Korean traditions and foreign cultures and stands out as one of the most internationally diverse celebrations of Seoul. It is indeed a fantastic multicultural event where people learn about and experience different cultures. END