Sarang hae, Korea -- the Pinoys' fascination with the 'Land of the Morning Calm'

Sarang hae. By now, many Filipinos know that this means "I love you." As more Filipinos become fascinated with Koreanovelas and anything "K-Pop" or Korean popular music, phrases like "annyeonghaseyo" (hello) or "kamsahamnida" (thank you) are becoming less unfamiliar. Recently, interest in South Korea was heightened as Philippine President Benigno Simeon Aquino III was rumored to be dating GMA TV host Grace Lee, a Korean who moved to the Philippines at age 10. She is fluent in at least three languages -- Korean, Filipino, and English. According to the Stock Estimate of the Commission on Filipinos Overseas (CFO), South Korea, also called "Land of the Morning Calm," is home to 82,359 Filipinos as of 2010. 'Experience weekend' The news site Union of Catholic Asian News (UCAN) reported that some 70 people attended in late April an “experience weekend,” a program set up to help migrant families sample Korean culture.

Organized by the United Religions Initiative Korea (URI-Korea) and the Osan family support center, the event was held at the Scholars Village in Yeongju. On that weekend, the participants joined a staged, traditional Korean wedding with a Korean man and his Filipina wife acting as the bride and groom. Kim Chol-wan, 42, and his wife Reycel got married in the Philippines about a year ago. They also had a wedding ceremony later in Korea. When they were asked to act as the bride and groom for the "experience weekend," Chol-wan said in jest:  “We’ve now had three wedding ceremonies,” adding that he was a "lucky guy to marry my wife three times.”  

UCAN said the Scholars Village aims to preserve and showcase Korean Confucian culture. Aside from letting the participants experience a traditional Korean wedding, they were also taught the ancient art of oriental painting. They drew the “Four Gracious Plants” – plum, orchid, chrysanthemum, and bamboo.

Artist goes to Korea Meanwhile, Analyn Perez, the graphics artist of GMA News Online, shared what she experienced when she visited Korea with her sister in February last year.   “It was the birthday of my sister and we decided to go to South Korea for vacation,” Perez said.   Known to many as a big fan of K-pop, and especially of  Max Changmin of the band TVXQ, Perez said they went to the "filming locations of Korean-Pop (K-Pop) dramas and businesses owned by K-Pop stars.”   “Being new K-Pop fans during that time, being in South Korea felt like we were actually part of a Korean drama scene. Everything that we watched on television was all around us and it was really exciting," she said. Perez said they met the sister of actor Kim Jae Joong, a part of K-Pop group JYJ. "In Korea, getting to see a relative of a celebrity is as close as you can get to the actual star. I was star struck when we met her in a store,” Perez explained. Perez said "going to South Korea fulfilled my fantasy as a fan of K-Pop. I really liked how the country was tourist-friendly." She said she did not worry about her belongings "even though there were no security guards because CCTV cameras were all around the place.”   Language barrier   Perez said one difficulty they encountered was the language barrier. “There are some Koreans who would leave you while you are asking for directions mainly because they are having difficulties understanding and explaining in English. However, the young ones in general can understand a bit and will use body language to give you directions,” Perez explained. However, there were Koreans who can speak Filipino.   “There was even this middle-aged lady in a food stall that thanked us in Tagalog after we bought food from her,” Perez explained. 'Korean crushes' Asked what she would like to bring from Korea to the Philippines, Perez said aside from snow and her "Korean crushes," she would like to "take home their internet speed. It’s really fast. Opening a high definition file in Korea is like opening a normal Word document.” Her advice to those who want to visit Korea? "You have to take into account that Koreans value their time. They would arrive at least 15 minutes earlier in every appointment," Perez said. "You will also notice that they walk very fast wherever they are. They are also good in multi-tasking and are very disciplined especially at work,” she added. Traveling to South Korea According to the website for Filipinos abroad -- overseas-filipinos.com,  South Korea shares many traditions with North Korea but an economic boom has propelled the citizens of the South to live a more advanced technologic life. The site said half of Korea’s population was atheist while the other half was either Christian or Buddhist.   As for their food, Koreans usually have a diet composed of rice, noodles, tofu, vegetables, fish, and meat. The site urged Filipinos to check first the spice level of the food. Kimchi, a popular Korean delicacy, is known to be very spicy. , Working in South Korea   Meanwhile, according to the Philippine Embassy in Seoul, in February this year, Act. No. 11276 or the Revision on the Act on Employment of Foreign Workers " was promulgated. The new law, which will be implemented starting in July, will reduce from six months to just three months, the waiting period for foreign employees who have finished their contracts and want to come back to South Korea immediately. Asides from this, foreign workers do not have to take a Korean language test and employment training every time they return to South Korea. - VVP, GMA News