SEOUL, 23 March 2016 - The Philippine Embassy joined the embassies of the other ASEAN member-states in witnessing on Wednesday, 23 March 2016 the ground-breaking organized by Korea's Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) for a center that will feature and promote the crafts and cultures of Southeast Asian countries in South Korea's second largest city of Busan.

Speaking at formal rites in Haeundae New Town in the eastern part of Busan, First Vice Foreign Minister Lim Sung-nam welcomed the ground-breaking for the ASEAN Culture House, a project announced by President Park Geun-hye at the ROK-ASEAN Commemorative Summit in Busan in December 2014, which was also attended by President Benigno S. Aquino III. Citing the special ties of Korea's main port with six ASEAN cities, including Cebu, Lim said: "I believe it is truly meaningful that the ASEAN Culture House is located in Busan, a close neighbor of ASEAN." He emphasized that the center "will play a pivotal role in increasing various exchanges between Korea and ASEAN." Busan Deputy Mayor Kim Kyu-ok, representing Busan Mayor Suh Byung-soo, said: "Busan Metropolitan City will provide active support to help the ASEAN Culture House to become a central ASEAN organization for exchange and benefit its local community. For example, the city will support operation of cultural programs and hosting of international events." Vietnamese Ambassador Pham Huu Chi, who currently heads the ASEAN Committee in Seoul (ACS), expressed "strong belief" that "the ASEAN Cultural House will contribute greatly to the enhancement of ASEAN-ROK partnership, especially by raising the awareness by Korean people of the ASEAN people and culture, promoting mutual understanding between ASEAN and Korea." This view was echoed by First Secretary and Consul General Roderico C. Atienza, who represented the Philippine Embassy together with Honorary Philippine Consul General in Busan An Sang-wook at the ceremony, telling First Vice Foreign Minister Lim and Busan Deputy Mayor Kim that the ASEAN Culture House is a welcome venue to promote Philippine culture and tradition. "The House will work as a culture space offering people opportunities to raise their understanding of cultural diversity of ASEAN countries and to experience them," said Ha Tae-kyung, main administration Saenuri Party member of the National Assembly representing Haeundae. Apart from diplomats from the 10-nation bloc, officials from Busan Metropolitan Government, the ASEAN-Korea Center (AKC) as well as with ordinary citizens and Southeast Asian students attended the groundbreaking ceremony. The ASEAN Culture House is envisioned to be four-story building on a 2,640-square-meter lot costing a total of 17.3 billion won ($14.9 million) when it is completed in June 2017. The institution is expected to exhibit items donated from each ASEAN member country, featuring their traditional and modern culture, religion and other aspects. It will also be a venue for music concerts and performances as well as gatherings between Southeast Asians here. Suh Jeong-in, South Korea's ambassador to the ASEAN in Jakarta and one of the key initiators of the plan, touted the center as "the first of its kind," with Korea being the first among ASEAN's 10 dialogue partners to launch one. "For cultural exchanges to be sustainable, they have to be reciprocal. As it has so far been one way, given the rise of the Korean wave in Southeast Asia, the house will help raise awareness and understanding among Koreans about Southeast Asian cultures, thus developing bilateral diplomatic relations," Ambassador Suh was quoted as telling Korean media.