Filipina makes waves in Korea By Cathy Rose A. Garcia, abs-cbnNEWS.com

MANILA, Philippines - Jasmine Lee, a Seoul-based Filipina, is appearing in an upcoming Korean film "Punch" (Wandeugi) which stars young actor Yoo Ah-in.

Lee is already a familiar face for Korean audiences, having been a panelist on popular KBS television show "Love in Asia" since 2006 and is widely considered an unofficial spokesperson for migrant wives.

Now, the 34-year-old Davao native is dipping her feet in Korean show business with her role in Punch as a Filipina mother who abandons her son.

The role was written as a Vietnamese woman in the best-selling novel the film was based on. But the film's producers decided to change the character to a Filipino once they met with Lee.

In an interview with abs-cbnNEWS.com, Lee admitted she did not think the producers will change the role to a Filipina for her.

"I really thought they wouldn't change the nationality because they need to follow the book, but they did. I'm proud and worried at the same time - proud that I'll be represented as I am, a Filipina, in the movie. And worried because here in Korea I've been fighting to better the image of married migrant women," she said.

Punch is Lee's second film, after making a cameo appearance as a runaway Vietnamese wife in the blockbuster hit "Secret Reunion", which starred Song Kang-ho and Kang Dong-won, last year.

"After the success of 'Secret Reunion,' some people I met who recognized me from the movie, eh nakikipagtalo pa sa akin na I'm Vietnamese... Now after 'Wandeugi' people will say, 'hey she's from the Philippines'," she said.

Lee has only nice things to say about working with the 26-year-old Yoo, who played her son. Yoo had appeared in the popular drama "Sungkyungkwan Scandal" last year.

"He was great all through out. He's just like a little kid! He's fun and he called me 'omma' (mother) all throughout the filming. So I call him 'adeul' (son) too. When he sees me, he welcomes me with a hug and asks me if im not hungry," she said.

Punch, directed by Lee Han ("Lover's Concerto" and "Almost Love"), will have its world premiere at the Pusan International Film Festival on October 9 in the southern port city of Busan. It will be shown in Korean cinemas on October 20.

Face of Filipinos in Korea

Lee is widely considered the face of Filipinos and migrant wives in South Korea, as she works to change deeply-held stereotypes and improve multiculturalism efforts in the traditionally homogenous Korean society.

Her life even sounds like a telenovela. She met her future husband Lee Dong-ho in Davao in 1994. The 18-year-old Ateneo de Davao student fell in love with the Korean sailor, who was 12 years her senior. They married and moved to Seoul in 1995.

There were many difficulties at first, adjusting to life in Korea and not knowing the language, culture and traditions. But she managed to overcome these adversities, speaking Korean fluently like a native, becoming a naturalized Korean citizen and raising a son Alex and daughter Chloe.

Lee slowly made the transition to a public figure around 2006, when she was asked to be a panelist on the TV show "Love in Asia." In 2008, she became a TV presenter on educational broadcasting network's "Basic Korean for Foreigners".

But tragedy struck last year, when her husband Dong-ho died while rescuing Chloe from drowning in a river. The incident was widely reported in Korea, where there has been increasing interest in multicultural families.

This only served to raise Lee's profile in Korean society. She was asked to deliver lectures multiculturalism in various schools and universities around the country, and has been profiled in newspapers and featured on TV shows.

Lee was also the only foreigner who was invited to participate in a series of G20-themed lectures, with her speech on "Multiculturalism makes Korea strong?" Earlier this year, Lee was even personally invited by Korean president Lee Myung-bak to a meeting at the presidential house.

Lee earned the respect and admiration of many Koreans, even receiving the accolade "People Who Enlighten the World" from Korea Green Foundation in 2010. At present, she works for the PR team at the Seoul Global Center, one of the first migrant women hired to be civil servants by Seoul City Government.

With all these achievements, many Filipinos in Korea are proud that a "kababayan" is raising the image of the Philippines among Koreans.

Asked how she feels about this, Lee said she is "flattered, proud, unnerved at times."

"It's a big responsibility, but it can be a burden at times. Tao lang naman kasi ako. I want to make mistakes like any other human being but I can't let everyone down. But it kind of gives me the courage and the strength to do good in everything because I know my family, married migrants, the Pinoys here in Korea and of course the country I represent, are all rooting for me," Lee said.

source: http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/global-filipino/09/30/11/filipina-makes-waves-korea

Vietnam may lose RoK market for labor export

VietNamNet Bridge – Of 60,000 Vietnamese workers in the Republic of Korea (RoK), 8,780 are considered as illegal residents. Korean authorities said that if the situation gets more serious, this country will stop receiving Vietnamese workers.

According to the Department for Management of Overseas Labor, Vietnam has exported its manpower under Korea’s EPS program for six years, with nearly 63,000 people. Vietnamese workers account for 25 percent of the total number of foreign workers from 15 countries in Korea.

The two biggest problems with Vietnamese workers in South Korea include: they change their jobs very often, and illegally stay in the host country after their labor contracts end.

The number of Vietnamese workers who illegally reside in RoK is on the rise. According to the Korean Ministry of Employment and Job, of over 60,000 Vietnamese workers, 8,780 are residing illegally in this country, account for 14.8 percent. This is the highest number among countries that export their manpower to RoK.

The rate of Vietnamese workers who asked for changing jobs illegitimately is also high, around 32 percent. More seriously, the number of Vietnamese workers who ran away immediately after entering Korea is rising.

The latest case happened recently when 22 Vietnamese workers ran away right after they fulfilled the entrance formalities at the airport. Most of these workers come from the central province of Ha Tinh. Because of this case, South Korea canceled the Korean language test on August 7. The cancellation of Korean language test means that this country does not accept new guest workers from Vietnam.

The Korean Ministry of Employment and Job is considering limiting Korean language tests or cutting down the quotas for Vietnamese workers. If the situation becomes more serious, this country will stop receiving Vietnamese workers.

In April 2011, Vietnam sent a working group to Korea. Returning to Vietnam, these experts designed a project to prevent Vietnamese workers from illegally residing in Korea. A workshop was held on this matter.

Deputy Minister of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs, Nguyen Thanh Hoa has asked Ha Tinh province to cancel recruiting workers from the three districts of Nghi Xuan, Ky Anh and Cam Xuyen, for the manpower exporting project to Korea because many workers from these districts now illegally reside in Korea.

Earlier, Taiwan stopped receiving Vietnamese workers in early 2005. In mid-2006, the UK recruited some Vietnamese workers for the hospitality industry but it quickly stopped this program.

source: http://en.baomoi.com/Home/society/english.vietnamnet.vn/Vietnam-may-lose-RoK-market-for-labor-export/182574.epi

Korea stops welcoming Vietnamese labor

South Korea is considering on whether to hire Vietnamese workers further or not, because many Vietnamese workers did not return home after the labor contracts end, said the chief of the Department for Management of Overseas Labor, Nguyen Ngoc Quynh.

The two biggest problems with Vietnamese workers in South Korea include: they change their jobs very often, and illegally stay in the host country after their labor contracts end.

The latest case happened recently when 22 Vietnamese workers ran away right after they fulfilled the entrance formalities at the airport. Most of these workers come from the central province of Ha Tinh. Because of this case, South Korea canceled the Korean language test on August 7.

Jung Jin Yuong, Director of the Vietnam-based Korean Center for Human Resource Development, said that in March 2011, South Korea informed Vietnam of the increase of illegally –resided Vietnamese workers in Korea.

In April 2011, Vietnam sent a working group to Korea. Returning to Vietnam, these experts designed a project to prevent Vietnamese workers from illegally residing in Korea. A workshop was held on this matter.

Korean employers still want to recruit Vietnamese workers, so the Korean Ministry of Employment and Labor is considering organizing the Korean language test or not.

Deputy Minister of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs, Nguyen Thanh Hoa has asked Ha Tinh province to cancel recruiting workers from the three districts of Nghi Xuan, Ky Anh and Cam Xuyen for the manpower exporting project to Korea because many workers from these districts now illegally reside in Korea.

Quynh from the Department for Management of Overseas Labor, said that if South Korea stops welcoming Vietnamese labor, thousands of Vietnamese workers will be hit by the decision.

According to the Korean Ministry of Employment and Job, of the total 60,000 Vietnamese workers, 8,150 are residing illegally in this country, account for 14.8 percent. This is the highest number among countries that export their manpower to South Korea (China with 5,100 people, the Philippines 4,958,
Indonesia 3,728, Mongolia 3,515 and Thailand 3,216).

The rate of Vietnamese workers who asked for changing jobs is also high, around 32 percent. More seriously, the number of Vietnamese workers who ran away immediately after entering Korea is rising.
The Ministry of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs has reported to the government about the situation. Minister Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan worried that if Vietnam cannot deal with run-away workers, the opportunity for Vietnamese workers in this country will be narrowed. Korea can also cancel its labor
agreement with Vietnam.

The Ministry sent a working group to Korea to exchange ideas and finalize the project to prevent Vietnamese workers from illegally residing in Korea. The Ministry said that it will change the way of selecting workers.

Vietnam has exported its manpower under Korea’s EPS program for six years. Vietnamese workers account for 25 percent of the total number of foreign workers from 15 countries in Korea. Vietnamese workers in Korea annually send home.

Hyehwadong Filipino Catholic Community raises funds for numerous programs By John Redmond

The Hyehwadong Filipino Catholic Community (HFCC), held its fourth fundraising event at the Tongsong Auditorium in Hyehwadong on Sunday.

Beginning at 3:30 p.m., the festival was also a chance to showcase the community’s effort to put more emphasis on Filipino culture and values as shown and portrayed by the candidates.

Under the theme “Ginoo at Binibining Kalinangang Filipino 2011,” or “Mister and Miss Filipino Culture 2011” in English, the overall aim was to raise funds for different programs and outreach activities of the community such as hospital and medical assistance, scholarship programs, emergency deportations and other urgent needs and outreach activities of the Philippine Center.

The subtheme, “A Showcase of Filipino Beauty and Culture” revealed performances focused on the Filipino way of life showcasing dance, song and music, history and culture.

Regional costumes were paraded instead of the usual gown competition, featuring traditional Maria Clara (women’s traditional dress) and Barong Tagalong (men’s traditional dress) to highlight the characteristics of Filipino migrants in Korea and provide a venue for cultural sharing and interaction between Koreans and Filipinos.

The show, at a cost of 10,000 won entrance fee and lasting over three hours, proved to be a great success with a larger than expected crowd.

“We sold out all tickets and started to let the public in at half price,” said Emely Abagat, one of the organizers, to The Korea Times after proceedings.

“I don’t know how much we raised but I’m sure it was beyond our expectations,” she said.

The candidates were carefully screened by the committee and the community was consulted in publishing their names, photos and personal information in the Sambayanan, the official newsletter of the community.

The winners were Felipe Carlo Clarin and Anne Katherine Pranada.

Ginoo at Binibining Kalinangang Filipino, primarily a fund raising project organized by the HFCC was founded in 2008.

source: http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/special/2011/09/173_94673.html

Philippine culture in the spotlight in South Korea By Cathy Rose A. Garcia, abs-cbnNEWS.com

Philippine culture is on display in South Korea, after the world-class Ballet Manila dance troupe performed at the Gyeongju World Culture Expo over the weekend. The Filipino community in Seoul is also holding a competition for young Filipino migrants who best embody Philippine culture and values on September 11.

The 6th Gyeongju World Culture Expo had designated September 4 as Philippine Day. The highlight of the day was the performance of Ballet Manila, the Philippine representative to the Expo.

Hundreds of Koreans and Filipinos who live in North Gyeongsang Province attended the event, along with Philippine Ambassador Luis T. Cruz

Ballet Manila is performing their interpretation of traditional Philippine dances and modern Pinoy music twice a day at the Expo until Saturday (September 10).

A group of Filipino circus performers will also be participating in the World’s Best Circus section of the Expo, alongside troupes from Russia and China.

The World Culture Expo runs until October 10, with 1.5 million visitors expected to visit. There are 44 countries participating in this year’s event with the theme of "The Story of Millennium ― Love, Light and Nature."

Meanwhile, the Ginoo at Binibining Kalinangang Filipino competition will be held on Sunday in Hyehwa-dong , downtown Seoul.

The event was started in 2008 by the Filipino Catholic community in Seoul, and is held every year during the Chuseok holidays in Korea. Chuseok, also known as the Korean Thanksgiving, is a three-day holiday that falls on September 11 to 13 this year.

The Ginoo at Binibining Kalinangang Filipino contest is open to Filipino migrants in Korea from ages 18 to 35. It aims to show the best of Philippine dance, song, costumes, values and tradition, as well as the best characteristics of Filipino migrants in Korea.

It also seeks to raise funds for the community's different outreach programs such as hospital and medical assistance, scholarship program, emergency deportation and other activities of the Philippine Center.

Tickets to the fund-raising event are 10,000 won (roughly P400). It also gives a chance for the ticketholders to win 1 million won (P39,500) and other prizes in a raffle draw.

"The 10,000 won can go a long, long way to entertain oneself, be proud of being Pinoy, and helping others," organizers said. For more info, online voting and photos pls go to www.sambayanan.org.

There are about 46,000 Filipinos throughout Korea, forming the fifth largest ethnic group, following Chinese, Americans, Vietnamese and Japanese.

source: http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/global-filipino/09/08/11/philippine-culture-spotlight-south-korea