ROK Ambassador pays courtesy call on University President

His Excellency Lee Sang-hwa, Ambassador of the Republic of Korea to the Philippines, paid a courtesy call on University President Fr Roberto C Yap, SJ, on 14 November 2023. He was joined by First Secretary Cho Seong Hyeon of the Political Affairs/Public Relations Section of the Embassy of the Republic of Korea in the Philippines.

H.E. Lee reiterated the Embassy’s commitment to support the Korean Studies Program (KSP) in fulfilling its mandate and establishing more partnerships with Korean institutions. He acknowledged the crucial role that the academe plays in the public diplomacy efforts of Korea and in honing students to become more tolerant and open-minded global citizens. H. E. Lee expressed the Embassy’s appreciation of KSP as the first and only full-fledged academic program on Korean Studies in the Philippines. According to him, KSP can expect the Embassy’s continued support for its future endeavors and in fostering more connections, especially with Korean universities.

Fr Yap thanked H.E. Lee for the visit and stated that the University considers partnerships and collaborations in the sciences and engineering as important as those in the humanities and social sciences. According to him, Ateneo shares the Embassy's desire to explore more ways to drive Korea-Philippines educational exchanges to greater heights. He invited H.E. Lee to deliver a special lecture next semester, in celebration of the 75th anniversary of the establishment of Philippines-Korea relations, which H.E. Lee graciously accepted.

Also present at the courtesy call were Ms Ma Cristina M Alikpala, Assistant Vice President for University Partnerships and Internationalization; Dr Czarina Saloma-Akpedonu, Dean of the School of Social Sciences; and Ms Aurea C Javier, Director of the Korean Studies Program.