Documentary film on Pinoys in Korea launched in Seoul

A 10-minute documentary about the lives of Filipinos in Korea was launched in Seoul during the recent visit there of Philippine Vice President Jejomar Binay, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said on Tuesday.   In a news release, the DFA said the Philippine Embassy in Seoul launched the premiere of the documentary "History of the Filipino in Korea" in late March. The DFA said the documentary was written and narrated by Consul Arnel Talisayon and directed by Carlo Marco Cruz.   It can be accessed on YouTube.  The DFA said Filipinos have played pivotal roles in the history of South Korea:

• former President Fidel Ramos, as a young lieutenant during the Korean War, successfully undertook the mission to retake Hill Eerie near the 38th parallel from Chinese forces;

• the late Gen. Carlos Romulo, as President of the United Nations (UN) General Assembly from 1949 to 1950, mobilized UN members to send combat troops and medical missions to South Korea;

• the late Senator Benigno Aquino Jr., father of the incumbent President Benigno Simeon Aquino III, as a young journalist for the Manila Times, reported about the exploits of the UN Command composed of foreign troops from 16 countries including the Philippines; this helped restore freedom and democracy in South Korea;

  The Philippine Expeditionary Force to Korea (PEFTOK) numbered 7,420 personnel in five battalions.   Its members stayed in Korea from 1950 to 1955. A total of 112 Filipino soldiers lost their lives during the Korean War.   "The Philippines continued its assistance to South Korea after the war by participating in the rehabilitation of Seoul through infrastructure development and training of agriculturists at the International Rice Research Institute," the DFA said.   Today, it added there are around 50,000 Filipinos in South Korea who continue to contribute to South Korean economy.   Ambassador Luis Cruz said, "Filipinos have been in Korea for decades. They have distinguished themselves as combatants during the Korean War in the early 1950s. They continue to contribute today to South Korea's economic development as professionals, engineers, industrial workers, spouses and community development workers."    Some 120 Filipino community leaders, guests and members of the Philippine delegation to the Seoul Nuclear Security Summit attended the launching.   The event preceded Binay's address to Filipino community leaders in South Korea.   Binay congratulated the embassy for producing the documentary, saying it is an inspiration not only to Filipinos in South Korea but to other overseas Filipino workers (OFW) as well.   Binay, the OFW czar, oversees all Philippine government services being extended to Filipino workers abroad. - VVP, GMA News