RP-Korea enhance education links

MANILA, Philippines - The Catholic University of Korea has accepted 13 post-graduate students from the Philippines for its academic year beginning this month, an embassy report said yesterday.

The Philippine Embassy in Seoul reported to the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) that the scholarships coincided with the opening of the International Hub of the university, a 16-storey building which has dormitories for domestic and international students, classrooms, research rooms and a global lounge that has been designated as an English-only zone.

The Embassy and the Apostolic Nunciature facilitated the scholarships. Recruitment of the Filipino scholars by university officials began in June in Manila.

Post-graduate courses being offered to the Filipino scholars include International Relations, Business Manage-ment and Information Technology. Recruitment of additional scholars for next semester will commence soon, to complete the 50 slots being offered by the university.

Meantime, two Korean students received the Medal for Academic Merit from the Philippine Embassy after besting hundreds of other middle and high school students in an essay competition focusing on Philippines-Korea relations.

Philippine Ambassador to Seoul Luis Cruz awarded the medals to Park Jeong-hoon and Kang Min-jee, for their essays that tackled issues such as discrimination, culture, history, trade and investments.

This year marks the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between the Philippines and South Korea. The Philippines was the fifth country to extend recognition to South Korea on March 3, 1949.

Both students took part in the Diplomatic International Forum of Seoul hosted by the Kyunghyang Daily News last month. The forum was supported by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade and the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology.