16 June 2023, Seoul, Korea. The Philippine Embassy in Korea in cooperation with the Philippines’ National Commission on Culture and the Arts (NCCA) donated 17 books and journals on Philippine history, culture, architecture, and arts as well as several volumes of audio-visual materials from the Gawad sa Manlilikha ng Bayan or GAMABA series to the Seoul Metropolitan Library on 30 May 2023 at the facility’s offices in Seoul.

The book donation was made in commemoration of Philippine Heritage Month in May and as a prelude to Philippine Independence Day held every 12 June 2023. Philippine Ambassador Theresa Dizon-de Vega turned over the resource materials to Seoul Metropolitan Library representatives Director Seon Myeonghwa of the Information Service Division and Assistant Director Oh Soogyeong of the World Archive Section.      

The donated materials curated by the NCCA will be housed at the Global Collections Section of the Seoul Metropolitan Library, one of the largest in Korea and which attracts not only Korean readers but also a growing number of international researchers, academics, students, and members. The Seoul Library said that a growing number of visitors read materials found in the Philippines section and expressed optimism that the numbers would increase with more materials on hand.

Ambassador Dizon-de Vega conveyed that, “The Philippine Embassy hopes to continue its partnership with the Seoul Metropolitan Library and provide more books and other resource materials on the Philippines in the future. We believe this will redound to a greater understanding of the Philippines among Korean and international readers.” END