GOVPH

PHILIPPINE AMBASSADOR WELCOMES NEW UNITED NATIONS MEMORIAL CEMETERY IN KOREA (UNMCK) CUSTODIAN

Philippine Ambassador to the Republic of Korea Theresa Dizon-De Vega met with UNMCK Custodian Suh Jeong In on 21 October 2024. Ambassador Dizon-De Vega was joined by Third Secretary and Vice Consul Reisha Olavario and Defense Attaché Col. Don Templonuevo.  

 21 October 2024, Seoul - Recently-appointed UN Memorial Cemetery in Korea (UNMCK) Custodian Ambassador Suh Jeong-In paid a courtesy call on PH Ambassador to the Republic of Korea Theresa Dizon-De Vega on 21 October 2024 to provide updates on the UNMCK and discuss the long-standing partnership between the Philippines and the Republic of Korea in terms of honoring Korean War veterans.

The United Nations Memorial Cemetery in Korea located in Busan is the final resting place of the fallen UN soldiers and war veterans who fought in defense of peace and freedom following the outbreak of the Korean War on the 25th of June 1950. The UN Memorial Cemetery in Korea comprises monuments donated by the participating nations as well as Memorial Service Hall, Memorabilia Hall, Wall of Remembrance, and the UN Forces Monument. Citizens of all nations come to the UNMCK to pay their respects to fallen heroes of the war.

During the call, both sides discussed the importance of the UNMCK in honoring Korean War Veterans by commemorating their sacrifices and contributions in defending the Republic of Korea. The Philippines was one of the largest force providers during the 1950 Korean War, sending 7,420 troops from the Philippine Expeditionary Forces to Korea (PEFTOK) to help the Republic of Korea. Of the 7,420, 120 Filipino soldiers lost their lives in battle.

A friend of the Philippines and former career diplomat, Ambassador Suh Jeong-in has an extensive background in multilateral affairs including serving as the Government representative and Executive Director of the 2019 ASEAN-ROK Commemorative Summit held in Busan and as Permanent Representative of Korea to ASEAN. The Philippine Embassy wishes the Ambassador all the best in his new role as the UNMCK custodian. END

ASEAN COMMITTEE IN SEOUL MEETS WITH AMOREPACIFIC GROUP, SPOTLIGHTS GROWING K-BEAUTY MARKET IN SOUTHEAST ASIA

27 October 2024, Seoul. Philippine Ambassador to the Republic of Korea Theresa Dizon-De Vega, in her capacity as the Chairman of the ASEAN Committee in Seoul (ACS), spearheaded the visit of ACS Ambassadors and working-group representatives to the Amore Pacific Osan Beauty Campus located in Osan-si, Gyeonggi-do, Republic of Korea on 24 October 2024. AmorePacific Corporation is ROK’s largest cosmetic and skincare manufacturer. It is widely known for brands such as Sulwhasoo, Laneige, Innisfree, Etude House, Mamonde and the wellness beverage and food brand Osulloc.

During the visit, Ambassador Dizon-De Vega underscored the importance of building opportunities for future cooperation between the ACS and the AmorePacific Group given the growing prominence of K-beauty in the Southeast Asian market. The Ambassador also spotlighted avenues for greater engagement between AmorePacific and ASEAN countries through sourcing of ingredients and raw materials, research and development, manufacturing, supply chain distribution and consumer retail, among many others.

The company currently has 27 overseas bases six of which are in Singapore, Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia, Vietnam, and the Philippines. The ASEAN region is a strategic market for the company, especially with the surge of the Hallyu Wave and its forward-looking economic growth.

The AmorePacific Beauty Park in Osan is Amore Pacific’s integrated production and logistics base, equipped with cutting-edge cosmetics manufacturing facilities and logistics centers. The ACS delegation was welcomed by Amore Pacific Group CEO Mr. Lee Sang-mok and Supply Chain Management Senior Vice President Mr. Kang Myung-gu.

The ACS received a briefing on the overview of the Amore Pacific, its domestic production plants, and global warehouse network. The group also visited the Amore Pacific Botanical Garden, a space where visitors can explore various species of plants such as Camellia, Tea, Peony, and Magnolia used as ingredients in Amore Pacific’s skincare and cosmetics products, the Amore Pacific archives which hold records and pertinent memorabilia from the company’s inception in 1945 to the present, and the Amore Pacific Factory which utilizes a supply chain management (SCM) intelligence system and autonomous manufacturing and production lines, requiring minimal human supervision for the actual production process of AmorePacific products.

The site visit to the AmorePacific Beauty Park is an initiative of the Philippine Embassy in Seoul. As part of the rotating Chairmanship, the ACS undertakes company visits to top corporations in ROK covering diverse fields of business and innovation to provide ASEAN Ambassadors and Embassies with a first-hand look at the corporate vision and roadmap of Korea’s top enterprises and to engender greater engagement on the economic front. This activity is the first visit of the ACS to a cosmetics, beauty, and wellness company in recent years. END 

AMBASSADOR DIZON-DE VEGA WELCOMES DILG-PPSC MASTER IN PUBLIC SAFETY ADMINISTRATION (MPSA) STUDENTS TO THE REPUBLIC OF KOREA

27 October 2024, Seoul.  The DILG-PPSC MPSA delegation paid a courtesy visit to the Philippine Embassy in Seoul on 21 October 2024 as part of their Foreign Academic Study program incorporated in their MPSA graduate course. The delegation received a warm welcome from Ambassador Theresa Dizon-De Vega who was joined by Third Secretary and Vice Consul Reisha Olavario of the Political and Economic Section, Agricultural Attaché Lev Nikko Macalintal and Second Secretary Ernest Joseph Diga at the 2^nd Floor Sentro Rizal Hall of the Embassy.

The delegation was led by Assistant Secretary Juabilly P. Racho of the DILG Peace and Order Department and composed of public officials from various LGUs and agencies of the Philippine government such as the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), Department of Agriculture (DA), Food and Drug Administration (FDA), National Intelligence Coordinating Agency (NICA), Professional Regulation Commission (PRC), Department of Justice (DOJ), Philippine Coast Guard (PCG), Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP), Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT).

The Foreign Academic Study portion of the graduate program serves as an integrative activity for the modules concerning Comparative Global Models of Public Safety and Multilevel Security Cooperation.

Ambassador Dizon-De Vega expressed her appreciation to the delegation for choosing the Republic of Korea for their Foreign Academic Study (FAS). She highlighted the importance of the PPSC MA program to address the evolving concept of human security, which now includes law enforcement, health, justice, climate change, cybersecurity, among other issues. As an archipelagic nation with a dispersed population, the Philippines needs experts to help address the impacts of climate change, public health, and cybercrime.

The Ambassador also shared that the Philippines plays an active role in terms of participating in ROK-led summits and dialogues on norms building on the ethical and rational use of AI technologies in governance. She also noted that the ROK has best practices in various aspects of public security, cybercrime, and mobilization of resources which the students can learn from during their visits and interactions with ROK agencies. END