SEOUL, 17 July 2022 — Ambassador Theresa Dizon-De Vega met with Sogang University President Fr. “Luke” Jong-hyeok Sim, SJ and members of the university’s Academic Affairs leadership team including Dr. Tai-Kyong Song, Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs and Dr. Soonkee Kim, Executive Vice President for Research and External Affairs on 14 July 2022. Third Secretary and Vice Consul Reisha Olavario was likewise present at the call.

Sogang, a Catholic University, is the oldest Jesuit institution of higher education in South Korea. During the call, Fr. Luke Sim acknowledged Sogang’s strong ties with Philippine Catholic Universities including the Ateneo De Manila University (ADMU), the University of Sto. Tomas, and numerous St. Paul’s Universities around the Philippines. Ambassador De Vega assured Sogang University that it can look forward to the Embassy’s assistance in linking Sogang to other higher education institutions in the Philippines in the future. Ambassador De Vega was also pleased to receive feedback that Filipino exchange students in Sogang University do well in their studies, and expressed hope that the two-way academic exchanges between the Philippines and Korea will continue. She also invited Korean students taking part in Philippine immersion programs of the Association of Catholic Universities in Korea to visit the Embassy before they depart for the Philippines.

During the call Ambassador Dizon-De Vega recalled her law studies at one of Sogang University’s sister institutions the Ateneo School of Law while Fr. Sim likewise recalled fondly his experiences in the Philippines, having spent time in the country as a young theologian. END