The Ambassador of the Republic of Korea, His Excellency Han Dong-man, delivered the 6th discourse of the University of Santo Tomas Ambassadors Lecture Series.
His lecture, titled 鈥淰ision for Peace in the Korean Peninsula and
the Philippines – Korea Relations,鈥� was held at the Dr. Robert C. Sy Grand Ballroom of the UST Buenaventura G. Paredes, O.P., Building on November 29, 2018.
Ambassador Han expounded on the ongoing peace process in the Korean Peninsula. He also discussed the bilateral relations between the Republic of Korea and the Philippines.
A focal point of the discussion centered on the 鈥淧anmunjeom Declaration for Peace, Prosperity, and Unification of the Korean Peninsula.鈥� According to Ambassador Han, this Inter-Korean Summit reaffirmed the principles of independence and selfdetermination of Korean nations and agreed to consistently and continuously develop inter-Korean relations.
The Ambassador also highlighted the diplomatic relationship between
the Philippines and Korea, which dates back to 1949. 鈥淜orean and Philippine bilateral relations is rooted in history,鈥� said Ambassador Han. 鈥淎 total of 7,420 Filipino soldiers who were part of the Philippine Expeditionary Force to Korea (PEFTOK) fought gallantly in the Korean War鈥� This experience opened the door for Korea and the Philippines to forge a unique and lasting friendship,鈥� he further explained.
In 2019, the Philippines and Korea will celebrate their 70th year of iplomatic relations. Ambassador Han assured the participants of the continued strength of the Philippine-Korean relationship and of ROK鈥檚 sustained support of the Philippines through investments in tourism and
education, among other areas.
Among the contributions of the ROK to the Philippines include: the Araw
Contingent, the first and largest peacetime operation unit dispatched by ROK to Leyte for one year to conduct aid, relief, and rehabilitation operations; a donation of five million pesos to the Philippine Red Cross
for the benefit of those affected by the armed conflict in Marawi; and more than 130 patrol cars for the use of the Philippine National Police.
The Republic of Korea remains the fourth largest trading partner of the
Philippines, the third largest import source, and the fifth highest export destination of the Philippines.
H.E. Han Dong-man
Having began his tour of duty in the Philippines on January 17, 2018,
Ambassador Han brings with him more than 30 years of experience in inter-Korean diplomatic relations.
Currently serving as the Ambassador of the Republic of Korea, he joined the
Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 1985 after earning a master鈥檚 degree in law at the Pantheon-Sorbonne University in Paris, France. Since then, he has held posts in Algeria, the United Kingdom, and Australia, and the Office of the President in Korea.
In 2002, he served as the Director of the Security Policy Division at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, and as Consul at the Korean Consulate General in New York. More recently, he served as the
Minister Counselor at the Korean Embassy in Washington, D.C., and Consul-General at the Korean Consulate in San Francisco.
Prior to his assignment in Manila, Ambassador Han was the Director-General for International Economic Affairs at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Consulate General of the Republic of
Korea.
The UST Ambassadors Lecture Series
The UST Ambassadors Lecture Series initiates intellectual engagement
between the Thomasian community and the diplomats. It also paves the way for linkages and further learning opportunities as members of the Thomasian community can participate in an open forum to engage with the lecturing diplomats.
The first lecture in the series was delivered on April 16, 2015, by then
Deputy Head of Mission of the Embassy of France to the Philippines Mr. Laurent Le Godec. He lectured on the commitment of France in fighting climate change. This lecture coincided with France鈥檚 hosting of COP21 in December 2015.
The second lecture was on 鈥淭he Church and the Modern World鈥� held on
April 18, 2016 by Vice Chancellor Francis Campbell of St. Mary鈥檚 University in London who once served as the British Ambassador to the Holy See.
The third lecture, along with a dialogue with Thomasian students on international affairs and public policy, was delivered by former American Ambassador to the Philippines, H.E. Philip S. Goldberg on April 16, 2016.
The fourth lecture focused on the dynamics of foreign relations in Philippine Economics, discussed on April 5, 2017. by H.E. Carlos Salinas, the Philippine Ambassador to Spain.
The most recent discourse was held almost a month before the ASEAN Summit was held in the Philippines. The speaker was the Minister and Deputy Chief of Mission of the Royal Thai Embassy in Manila Ms. Urawadee Sriphiromya, who discussed on October 24, 2017 learning mobility in the context of ASEAN Integration.
