WITH the thousands of Korean citizens who have found Cebu as a favorite holiday destination or as a new home, not to mention Filipinos’ obsession with K-drama and Korean food, our special relationship with Korea is certainly worth cherishing. Oh Sung Yong, Consul General of the Korean Consulate in Cebu, invited Korean citizens and friends from various sectors of the community, from local government to media, to celebrate Korea National Day at the Marco Polo Plaza Cebu.

Guests were welcomed to the event with key messages from Consul General Oh and Cebu Provincial Gov. Hilario Davide III. Leading the toast of the occasion were Regional Director of Police Regional Office 7 PCSupt. Debold Sinas and president of the Cebu Korean Association Cho Bong Hwan.

The program for the evening included performances by the Manila Samulnori Team, an arirang (Korean folk song) sung by professor Sharon Quinterto-Manalo, and Nanta, a percussion performance by Korean girl group TA:POS.

To educate more about Korean culture beyond K-drama and Korean food, several special displays were set up in the hotel ballroom, including art, handicrafts, various traditional instruments, and a model of a traditional Korean house with a thatched roof. Guests enjoyed the dress-up booth, where they got to don traditional headdresses and full costumes and have their pictures taken at the photo booth.

A seemingly endless buffet of various Filipino and Korean dishes was offered, as well as an open bar that included Baekse-ju, a traditional Korean wine. The lady who enthusiastically served it to me said that Koreans drink Baekse-ju to live 100 years. If this is what keeps Koreans looking so young, I may need to keep a bottle of this at home at all times!