Culture is a way of life.

Culture was defined by the book published by the University

of Minnesota Libraries Publishing as the symbols, language, beliefs, values, arts, morals,

customs, traditions and artifacts that are part of any society. It has long been believed

that culture has been associated with one's ancestry. Through our culture we develop a

sense of belonging, personal and cognitive growth and the ability to empathize and relate

to each other.

The Philippines is famously known as a culturally diverse country as a lot of foreign

citizens are now dwelling in the country. Filipinos are known to be very hospitable by

nature, and wherever you go in the world you can find a Filipino community welcoming

you with open arms. According to the Philippine Census that was released last May 2010,

there are already 177, 365 foreign residents in the country. Eight years had passed and

it is believed that the number of foreign residents in the country had increased or had

been doubled. In addition to this, as of 2013, according to the statistics of South Korea's

Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade they’ve recorded their population at 88,102 Koreans

are currently residing in the Philippines.

We were tasked to have an immersion in two international and one local

community in the country. As part of the said immersion, we chose one international

community that is very diverse and that has been greatly established in the country which

is the South Korean community. There have been a lot of international communities that

has been established in the country but through the years, the South Korean culture is

slowly being known.

 South Korea and the Philippines had always have a special connection that started

way back in the 1950’s during the Korean War as the Philippines sent its 1,468 troops to

defend South Korea against its counterpart country which is the North Korea. From that

day forward, the connection between South Korea and the Philippines had been stronger

up to this date. In addition, with the help of the huge amount of South Korean tourists and

migrants in the Philippines, the South Korean culture has been slowly established and

been known to the Filipinos to the point that there are now a lot of Korea Town – a place

or neighborhood that showcases the Korean culture through its products, food, and

entertainment – all throughout the Philippines.

We aim to engage and delve deeper into the South Korean culture, they searched

for various Korea Towns established throughout the country. It was discovered by the

researchers that there are quite a number of Korea Towns in the country wherein those

places are located in Quezon City, Makati City, Pampanga province, and even in Baguio

City. With that, the researchers decided to go to one of the most popular Korea Town in

the country which is located in Angeles City, Pampanga. It is a small stretch of South

Korean culture which consists of houses, shops, authentic South Korean restaurants,

groceries with South Korean products, and noraebang – Korean karaoke or entertainment

places owned by Koreans who settled down in the Philippines for business, missionary

work, or education.
 The researchers decided to leave Cubao, Quezon City at 10 o’clock in the morning

last April **** bound to Anunas Road, Angeles City, Pampanga. It took approximately

three to four hours getting onto the Korea Town as there have been a traffic due to rush

hour and we arrived around one o’clock in the afternoon. A long stretch of Korean

restaurants and shops welcomed us as soon as we arrived in our destination. You can

clearly see that these places have been standing for quite a long time as you can see the

fading effect and rusts on the signs in the vicinity.

 We were unable to grab a lunch on the way that’s why we decided to find a good

restaurant that can satisfy our hunger but that will not cost us a lot. We visited a lot of

Korean restaurants and we found out that there are a lot of restaurants that offers

samgyeopsal or authentic Korean barbecue which is really popular nowadays in the

country. Surprisingly, unlike in Metro Manila there are a lot of Korean barbecue

restaurants there don’t offer an unlimited barbecue combo and it is also quite expensive

as prices ranges from P599 to P899. Luckily, we were able to find Kun Dae Mun

restaurant that offers unlimited samgyeopsal of beef and pork and a buffet of other Korean

food in an affordable price of P499 per person. When we entered the place, we were able

to feel the Korean ambiance as there are a lot of things that reminds Korea in the place

excluding the Korean barbecue grill itself. There are decorations that are posted in the

walls that reminded you what Korea is, just like posters of different South Korean artists

or K-Pop stars and Korean flags.

 Eating in an authentic Korean restaurant inside Pampanga Korea Town is a

different twist that you would experience because compared to dining into a Korean

restaurant in Metro Manila, the restaurant itself does not only have Filipino customers but

you would be able to see an abundant amount of Korean customers dining in the

restaurant. In Metro Manila, Korean restaurants are always packed with Filipino

customers who yearns for a small taste of South Korea through their food. With that, I

tried to personally interview one female Korean customer who’s currently dining in the

restaurant to know their insights why Korean food is suddenly became a hot topic in the

Philippines but unfortunately, she refused. I also tried to interview other Koreans who
were also dining in the restaurant but all of them also refused but I got my chance to have

a very short interview with one of the restaurant’s staff. Her name is Kim Si Young but

she prefers to be called Sarah as it is easier pronounce than her real name. She is part-

time waiter or server in the restaurant who’s only living in the Korea Town every school

breaks as she was actually studying in Manila. Prior to our visit in the Korea Town, I’ve

read a lot of books and articles saying that the culture itself of Kores is in their food. With

that, I first asked her if that was true and she said that it’s true. She mentioned that for

Koreans, food is very important. It should be treated with respect and should be done with

proper etiquette. Even when eating, they have these certain rules that you must observe.

One good example of this is the ranking system wherein letting the oldest one eat first

before the younger ones eat. Another great example is the proper way of eating, when

we are all young we are used on seeing characters on cartoons or animes that whenever

they eat rice or sip a good broth they would always lift their bowls however, in Korea it is

very unusual for them to do that.

Korean style meals usually feature one large communal dish for everyone to share

and it’s still normal among Koreans to share all the food in front of them with everyone

they are eating with. In every Korean meal, there should always be bunch of banchan or

side dishes and that made Korean meals a significant one. Korean style meals are

popular for its abundant menu of banchan, their notable side dish is kimchi. Kimchi is

traditional spicy fermented or pickled napa cabbage in red chilies, chili powder, scallions,

and a lot more ingredients and it is considered a very important side dish in Korea to the

point that you will be able to see a kimchi in almost every meal. In fact, there are quite a
number of kimchi versions that you would be able to see. Aside from using the traditional

main ingredient of making kimchi – which is napa cabbage – you can also make kimchi

out of mustard leaf, radish, cucumber, and chives. I also asked Sarah what are other

Korean cuisines that are notable in their country aside from what is just popular in our

country like samgyeopsal (Korean barbecue), bibimbap (mixed rice), japchae (sweet-soy

noodles), bulgogi (Korean beef), and bingsu (Korean ice dessert). She said that there are

a lot of notable Korean dishes but usually some meals are only made and eaten during

special holidays or days. She mentioned hotteok (sweet pancakes), teokbokki (spicy rice

cakes), jeon (Korean pancakes), naengmyeon (cold buckwheat noodles), galbi (soy

marinated Korean beef), kimbap (Korean sushi), budae jjigae (spicy stew), and a whole

a lot more.

teokbokki (spicy rice cakes) napa cabbage kimchi

naengmyeon (cold buckwheat noodles) bibimbap (mixed rice)

When I was watching some documentaries and videos about the South Korean

culture, I came across to knowing that a lot of South Koreans grew fondly in eating the

very famous Korean ramyeon. Korean ramyeon is an tasty spicy instant noodles that is a

Korean spin of Japan’s famous noodle dish Ramen. While roaming around the

neighborhood, we came across with a grocery shop which offers a huge array of Korean

ramyeon supporting the love of Koreans to the delicious spicy instant noodles. Koreans

are also known for their love of snacks and the Korean grocery store sure have them all.

Just like the Japanese, Koreans are also famous for their unique flavors especially to their

snacks that you would only see it in their country or to Korean grocery stores. We saw

products that have different and unique flavors such as Honey Butter Dried Squid, Fish

Cheese Sausage, Banana flavored Chocopie, Fried Chicken flavored snack, Butter

Caramel and Cheeseburger flavored Pringles, and a lot more.

 We Filipinos are very fond of delicious snacks. We have our own kind of delicious

street foods that you will get to taste here in the country. Our group actually anticipates

that there will be some food carts of Korean street foods just like here in the Philippines

that you literally can see bunch of food carts selling street foods on the street. Also, when

I watched videos about Korean food, they have bunch of food carts selling on the streets

located in Hongdae and Myeongdong, South Korea. To our dismay, there are no food

carts on the streets. We were kind of disappointed but when we continued walking we

saw a Korean restaurant that offers different kind of famous Korean street foods. There

were a lot of varieties coming from skewers, savory to sweets for dessert or just for your

comfort cravings. But we were so full back then as we just ate our late lunch so we didn’t

order a lot and tasted only a few items. We ordered a Seafood Pancake called Haemul

Pajeon which has a harmony of seafood such as squid, prawns or mussels, leeks, green

onions and flavorful batter in a savory pancake, Cheese Shrimp roll which a deep-fried

shrimp rolls filled with creamy cheese within, and Sundae which means blood sausages

which is made from pig intestines stuffed with cellophane noodles and pig’s blood. We

just ordered light snacks because we are planning to come back again before leaving.

Other famous Korean street foods that they offer are Eomuk Tang which is a fish cake

placed in a skewers and served with hot broth, Goon Mandu or a Meat and vegetables-

filled dumplings pan-fried, soft mochi rice balls stuffed with sweet red beans called

Chapssaltteok, Gyeranppang which are Korean egg muffins, and a whole a lot more.
 Haemul Pajeon Sundae

Cheese Shrimp Roll Chapssaltteok

To Koreans, clothes are more than a covering for the body. A very good example

of this is the traditional Korean costume called the hanbok (sometimes called joseonot).

Though there have been slight changes in hanbok over time in terms of material, preferred

colors, and the length of the skirt or jacket, the hanbok's basic format has more or less

remained the same for the past 1,600 years. The hanbok is composed of a bolero-style

blouse and a long skirt, it is uniquely proportioned. In some instances, the skirt is four

times longer than the blouse and as a result, even a short woman looks taller in wearing

it. The hanbok has subtle curves and simple lines. The sleeves of the blouse open up like
wings, while the skirt flares out from the bosom and flows elegantly to the floor.

Accentuating the breastline is an unusual type of bow, with its two ends trailing out from

the knot and down the front of the blouse, nearly reaching the ankles. A lot hanboks also

have beautiful geometric and floral designs embroidered around the cuffs and the

neckline of the blouse as well as on the skirt. Yes, the hanbok’s proportions, lin es, and

colors all combine to make it elegant indeed. The beauty of the hanbok is enhanced by

its practical design.

Having coexisted with the Korean people ever since the beginning of their history,

hanbok is a beautiful cultural heritage that all Koreans should be proud of not only for its

historical value but also for its uniquely Korean artistic significance. The hanbok, which

changes only slightly according to the season, social status and situational context, is

highly regarded for its creative design and overall elegance.

 Hanbok ispired modern clothes

Although the hanbok to some extent lost its place in Korean daily life due to the

rapid inflow of Western civilization after Korea's opening to the Western world in the 19th

century, it is still the most representative of Korean dress and a symbol of the identity of

the Korean people. During the daily life of every Korean, they are not using hanbok but

clothes like tee-shirts, blouses, jackets, shorts, skirts and pants. Now, in modern day,

hanbok serves as a formal dress and most Koreans keep a hanbok for special times in

their life. They usually wear their traditional clothing during funerals, traditional wedding,

Korean holiday, and special occasions. Korean children usually wear their hanbok on

their first birthday. But there are also people who are using it as casual wear in villages

or districts where the traditional ways of life are being maintained. Although hanbok have

become the ritual dress of choice worn only on traditional holidays, Koreans' love for

hanbok is tremendous. The popularity of Korean historical dramas is causing many

visitors to take more interest in traditional Korean attire as well.

Hanbok for males

Hanbok for females

 Part of Korean culture is fashion. Nowadays, there is something called as K-

Fashion. This was created because it was said that most of the fashion statements that

emerged in this generation started with the Koreans. In fact, average South Koreans

cares a lot about fashion and their personal appearance and always make sure that

they’re in style and in trend to catch up with other people. Seoul is a really emerging

fashion city, not just in Asia, but internationally. Especially when compared to other major

Asian cities such as Tokyo, Hong Kong and Shanghai. It was believed that because of

Korean artists, K-Fashion slowly emerged because with the job as a KPOP artist, it

requires a lot of attention to details to look perfect in the eyes of the general public.
 Seoul and Busan has been names as “Asia’s Fashion City,” it also adds the fact

that there are a lot of shopping malls all throughout Seoul and Busan, South Korea. The

Shinsegae Centum City Department Store is registered in the Guinness World Records

as the largest shopping complex in the world. The department store has a countless

number of items all under one roof. Visitors can also enjoy numerous entertainment

options in the complex. Shinsegae, which opened the first department store in Korea,

reflects decades of retail experience in this flagship location. Some of the various

entertainment facilities available include a spa and an ice rink. Other known shopping

centres in South are Lotte Department Store that features reasonably-priced Korean

labels and upscale outlets, as well as a duty-free store, art gallery, and food court that

offers a wide range of local and international delicacies, COEX Shopping Mall, set in the

basement of Korea’s World Trade Centre, stands out from conventional shopping centres

as Asia’s largest underground shopping mall, and D-Cube City Mall that features a 42-

storey cultural complex at Sindorim Station, which comprises of five-star Sheraton Seoul

D-Cube City Hotel, an arts centre, and an outdoor park that spans 33,000 square metres.

Shinsegae Centum City Department Store Lotte Department Store

 There is a contradiction at the heart of Korean communication patterns which is

that, like the Japanese, Koreans want to preserve harmony and promote good relations

but at the same time they have a tendency to become emotional if they feel that things

are not going their way. As we roamed aroung the neighborhood, checking our different

shops and groceries, we realized that not all Koreans staying in Pampanga Korea Town

just speaks hangul – official language for both North and South Korea – and hanguk –

dialect of South Korea. A long time ago the language of Korea is known to be hanja which

are Chinese characters but due to time and civilization it finally changed into hanguk.

Most of the Koreans there speaks fluent Filipino and English but some were still a

little learning the said languages. With that, I asked if I can interview the cashier while

assisting the things that we bought from the Korean grocery store because she’s a middle-

aged Korean woman and fortunately she agreed. I asked her how did she able to master

the Filipino language even though she’s staying in Korea Town and not having a formal

Filipino language lessons. She said that because of the tourists and locals who frequently

goes to Korea Town, she eventually adapted the language over time. She admitted that

she still finds it hard to understand some words in Filipino but at least she knows more

than enough to communicate better with Filipinos. I asked her what are some unique facts

about the Korean language that most Filipinos don’t know and she gladly answered my

question. She mentioned that like here in the Philippines and other neighboring countries,

the relationship between a speaker or writer and his or her subject and audience is

paramount in Korean, and the grammar reflects this and this should be strictly followed
at all times. The relationship between the speaker and subject is reflected in honorifics,

while that between speaker and audience is reflected in speech level. Just like what I

mentioned earlier, ranking is very important in South Korea to the point that it feels like

your life depends on it, there will be always a level of respect. When talking about

someone superior in status, a speaker or writer has to use special nouns or verb endings

to indicate the subject’s superiority. Generally, someone is superior in status if he/she is

an older distant relative (grandparent’s sibling, older sibling’s spouse, etc.), a stranger of

roughly equal or greater age, an employer, senior in a field, teacher or a customer.

Someone is equal or inferior in status if he/she is a close relative (grandparent, parent,

spouse, or sibling), friends, student, employee, etc. On rare occasions (like when

someone wants to pick a fight), a speaker might talk to a superior or stranger but no one

would do this without seriously considering the consequences to their physical safety.

Working in South Korea may be a challenge for non-Koreans as South Korea has

one of the highest average work weeks and overtime hours in the world. Koreans are

known for their intelligence and work ethic. With their rigorous work ethic, you can greatly

expect to go beyond your own standards, skills, and capabilities to keep up. However, if

you are committed with your work, the people around you will in return be committed and

in favor to you. From my previous interview with the groceries cashier, she mentioned

that in terms of work, ranking is very important especially for age hierarchy. If you are

younger, you are considered the lowest in the pecking order. Everyone follows the oldest

person, who is usually the top. Age matters more than skill but she said that as time flies,

this is slowly changing.

 According to Hogan (2017), group mentality is important in the South Korean

culture of work. Individual contribution is only recognized as long as it leads to the success

of the group or team as a whole. South Korea actually has a very solid drinking culture

with its own rules and norms. When you get invited to go drinking, especially by your

bosses or seniors, you cannot refuse to that invitation. Turning down their invitation is

akin to rejecting their company. Koreans look at drinking as a chance to bond with their

peers in a way they can’t in other settings. Also, being invited out to drinks with someone

who you view as far above you is one of the biggest compliments a Korean worker can

receive. I asked a different staff about this matter and I interviewed one male staff. I asked

if it is still like that even if they’re in the Philippines. He said that they still do it here in the

Philippines as their employers are still Korean and it is also a way of keeping close to

their employers but also to those Filipino co-workers as Filipinos also loves to drink just

like Koreans.

After our encounter with the grocery shop, we went to the street where most

houses are owned by Koreans hoping that we could interview someone about the daily

life and habits of a Korean household. At first we didn’t see anyone that we could interview

but luckily we got to interview one maid who’s employer is a Filipino-Korean couple. We

only asked her a few questions as she said that she has a lot of work to. We asked what

is it like to be in a Korean household. She said that it is not quite distant with the Filipino

traditions and culture but in some point there are some differences. The Philippines is an

extremely family oriented culture as well as Korean household, family is very important
above anything else. She said that Koreans do not prefer having maids at home because

they want to be hands-on and they believe that they can do things independently but in

her case, she was hired because the couple she’s working for has a 13 year old son and

her employers are at work during day-time. I asked her our last question which we asked

her what are the things she find unique in the Korean household. She said that whenever

they’re eating there should always be at least ten banchans or side dishes and of course,

kimchi will always be on the table. She also mentioned that when you look inside their

refrigerator, you will always find a kimchi there. Just like a Filipino household, wearing

shoes or outdoor slippers inside the house is a big no-no. In some instances, some

Filipino household generally accepts entering your house with its outdoor footwear but

there are still not accepting this matter. She said that the house that she’s working for

even has a specific place where they put their shoes on outside and once you enter the

house you will be able to see an indoor slipper that you can use while staying inside. Even

though they’ve been residing in the Philippines for such a long time, it’s fascinating that

the they still preserve the Korean tradition that they are used to.
 It was really hard to find someone to interview as almost all of the people there are

quite busy because of the huge amount of tourists coming so we decided to just roam

around and observe what’s currently happening in the said Korea Town.

Koreans are very known for their proper etiquette in almost all the things that they

do and they must follow these ways as it is already marked in their tradition. One is their

sign of respect. In the Philippines, we show respect to the elderly by placing the

forefingers of the elderly into our foreheads and say “mano po” or “bless po.” We also

show respect to other people especially those who ranks above us or a stranger by simply

saying “po” and “opo.” For Koreans, we observed that there are different types of greeting

and showed evident respect to every people. We observed that Koreans usually bow as

sign of respect they levels of bowing and per level, there is a significant meaning behind.

Koreans bow as a sign of courtesy to one another. Interestingly, the degree of the bow

depends on politeness, social status, and seniority. Common courtesy to most people is

shown by bending about 15 degrees with your face downward. To show the highest

degree of politeness, you bend your head and waist about 30 to 45 degrees. There’s also

a “belly-button bow” or navel bow is a formal respectful bow that is mostly and usually

used by women in uniform, especially flight attendants and salespeople. The term comes

from the fact that the hands are clasped together at the navel position when bowing. The

degree of bowing depends on the occasion but the 45 degrees is the most common.

Another is called the 90 degree bow and it is literally called like that in Korean language.

It is a form of utter respect, an intentional showing of service and obedience. It is also

used in occasions for deep apologies. And the last form of bow in Korea is the “big bow.”

These are the knees-to-the-ground or deep bows that are reserved for special occasions

such as holidays, weddings, funerals, ancestral rites, greeting elders after a long period

of absence, and showing of extreme remorse or gratitude.

Handshaking is also one of the typical greeting as well as the bow in Korea.

Usually, a younger person bows first, going to shake hands with both hands if the older

person starts handshaking. The order very is important, with the senior first. It is

considered to be impolite for younger people to start the handshake. In addition, most

Koreans hold hands softly, not tightly. In other words, the limp handshake doesn’t imply

any negative impression to the other person. Also, It could be rude for the younger person

to use one hand when handshaking, so the proper way of shaking hands is supposed to

use two hands.

 Appearance is extremely important to Koreans, presenting things well is known

better than doing things well. Almost all Koreans believe that being good-looking

somehow leads to success. For instance, when they apply for a job, they think a nice

picture of themselves plays a crucial role, which is very uncommon to Americans. So they

eagerly look for a good photo studio dealing with job application pictures to get a dream

job. When people start to complain about their appearance and compare it with others,

they get more stressed and feel inferior. These kinds of people are likely to commit suicide

because they are mentally more vulnerable than others. That’s why there have been a

rise of South Korean cosmetics and skin care products that is good for nurturing the skin

and appearance of every male and female. In other countries, men who uses cosmetics

are rarely seen but in South Korea, almost all of the male population uses one.
 Koreans are known to be great degree glad individuals because of their pride and

some of the time this pride changes into awesome patriotism. You will be able recognize

this patriotism showed at donning occasions, where a large number of Korean fans give

a shout out to their national groups as one, hitting into drums and waving huge banners.

This patriotism particularly reaches a some kind of a boiling point whenever Japan is

mentioned. It was all because of Japan has attacked Korea for a few times a long time

ago, and occupied Korea as a colony for almost the first half of the 20th century, wrecking

the nation's assets and recruiting a huge number of their ladies as sex slaves. Their

patriotism is believed that it makes them complex and interconnected. They also believed

that they are of one blood, and that blood classification is associated with their conduct

and personality. While we were interviewing some Koreans other than listening to their

answers to our questions, we were able to observe them too. You will sense and see that

they are very willing in to other people especially those from different nationality what their

culture really is. They have this certain pride that you would be able to feel while

conversing with them as they’re really putting their heart while talking about their culture

with a very proud smile.

 With our observation, some Koreans are pretty simple and keep the traditional way

in terms of their concept of art and design but some go beyond and tried to fit in on what’s

modern and trending nowadays. When you first step into the Pampanga Korea Town, you

will be able to see signage of different shops and restaurants that are placed in a very

simple way. Those signage have a simple design of lettering of the name of the restaurant

and contact number with a plain color background. But there are some stand- out as they

took advantage of the modernization and added quite a lot of modern designs into their

shop. The Korean barbecue restaurant that we visited for our late lunch has a combination

of having a traditional and modern vibe. The traditional table that Koreans are using are

dining tables that are made of wood and have a quite short legs. In the restaurant, they

kept the dining tables modern as it has long legs but preserved the traditional vibes by

having it made from wood. Based on our research, we found out that there are certain

traditional Korean designs but those designs were not that evident in Pampanga Korea

Town. Most of the shops, restaurants, and even houses are designed to fit in with the

modern era.

Korean traditional patterns/designs and house

 Nowadays, KPOP or Korean Pop is slowly being known not only to other countries

but also to the Philippines. During our tour in Pampanga Korea Town, we heard quite a

lot of Korean songs playing anywhere. Even in the restaurant that we dined, they were

having some KPOP videos and music for the customers to be entertained. Music is a

form of art and KPOP belongs to that. KPOP is widely accepted in the country that actually

helped to promote the Korean culture to Filipinos.

We were lucky enough that we were able to interview one Filipino customer who

also ate to the restaurant that we dined at the same time. We asked her why did she go

in Pampanga just to experience the Kore Town there even though there are also Korea

Towns in the Metro where it is much closer into her accessibility. She said that the world

of KPOP and KDrama led her into exploring more of the Korean culture. While indulging

herself with KPOP and KDrama, she was fascinated with the Korean culture and want to

know more about the culture and by going into Pampanga Korea Town, she can

experience a little taste of South Korea that she won’t be able to experience in other

Korea Towns in the Metro. KPOP is known as an immersive experience that goes beyond

music. It expresses different feelings that sure everyone can relate to. KPOP is an integral
part of performing arts as KPOP conveys messages that the artists want to express their

listeners through writing significant lyrics.

GOT7 BTS

Stray Kids

K-Pop Groups

Another Filipino tourist was interviewed by our group and we asked him what

brought him to Pampanga Korea Town. He said that he is a huge fan of KDramas or

Korean dramas and his group of friends are from Bataan and they would like to

experience the Korean culture even just for a day. As Philippines have gone through a lot

during the colonial days, its culture has somehow adapted the other countries’ culture and that
including the Korean culture. Filipinos are known to be easily influenced by the latest trends and

issues around the globe. We are easily swayed by a variety of mores we see and often what not.

With the concept of KDrama, it slowly dominated the Philippine television channels as

they continue to air numerous Korean hit dramas series on prime time slots where the families

are usually complete and capable of watching television together. He said that through

KDramas, he got a glimpse of what South Korea really is. He said that through those prime time

aired KDramas, he was able to appreciate it and actually watched some series online. The places

where the drama series are being held fascinates him. When he sees them eating in the drama

series, he became curious with the food that they’re eating and he actually want to have a taste

on them too. The clothing style of South Koreans also amazes him. He said that even those non-

celebrities, normal citizens of South Korea, look like models as they carry themselves proudly

with the stylish clothes that they are wearing. These factors actually helped to boost the Korean

culture in the country as it is slowly being accepted and heard by quite a lot of people. He also

said that he idolizes Korean dramas because of the different and unique storylines that Korean

dramas deliver to its audience. In addition, he mentioned that the vibe of Korean dramas is far

different from the Philippines dramas not just in terms of the technology but also the lot itself.

Philippine dramas are usually deep and quite big but KDramas are somehow light and has very

unique storylines. Also, most Korean dramas contain family-friendly themes that we are

accustomed to. Romance, friendship, family relationships and history are some of the themes

that many Korean dramas depict and these are the same values and customs or traditions that

we cherish as well and since Filipinos are known to be driven by emotion, we easily embraced
this genre. One notable KDrama that really hooked the Philippines into the Korean culture is the

“Jewel in the Palace.” It is a historical drama that really captured the Filipinos because of the

storyline itself.

The Philippines and South Korea have been partners since the end of the Second World

War. This partnership was tried in the Korean War where the Philippines sent the thirteenth

biggest unforeseen of fighters as the Philippine Expeditionary Forces To Korea (PEFTOK) in

spite of the reality that the Philippines itself was still recuperating from the after effects of the

World War 2. After the war in 1953, PEFTOK Units still remained to help in reconstructing

endeavors in South Korea. Over the years passed, the partnership between the Philippines and
South Korean has continued. The bond that has been established by both countries is very

evident. You can see that there are already a lot of rising Korean establishments, shops, and

restaurants as well as South Korean tourists in the country. According to one Korean national

that we’ve interviewed, South Koreans tend to migrate here in the Philippines because housing

in the Philippines is way less expensive compared in their home country, South Korea. As South

Koreans migrate here in the Philippines, of course, they need a source of income. Some chose

to work for various companies but some chose different paths and opened their own businesses.

With that, Korea Towns were slowly built which is still standing up to this date.

Nowadays, with the booming and love of Filipinos with Korean music, drama, and

culture, a lot of Koreans took advantage of this but in a good way. A lot of Koreans started

establishing their own businesses and the most famous business that Koreans actually built in

the Philippines are Korean restaurants specially Korean barbecue restaurants or Samgyeopsal.

With our trip to Pampanga Korea Town, we were able to witness a stretch of a neighborhood

that is full of Korean restaurants. There are approximately 20 or more Korean restaurants in

Pampanga, Korea Town.

Aside from cheaper house bills and great opportunities to run a business, Koreans also

go to the Philippines to study the English language. Truthfully, the English language is being

spoken by about 330 to 360 million people as their first language while there are about 470

million to one billion people who speaks English as their second language. That actually makes

English as the third largest number of native and second hand speakers in the whole world after
Mandarin Chinese and Spanish. English may not be the native language and the first language

that most Filipinos learn when growing up but it is considered as an official language of the

country as the English language is used widely throughout the Philippines for daily life and

business.

The United Kingdom and the US might be two of the most well known destinations

for English language learners, however the Philippines is planning to ramp up the

competition. Having a lot of English speakers in the country and with an abundance of

English language based institutions, the Philippines became one of the premier English

language study destinations. The country is amazingly prevalent with students from Korea

and Japan, and the quantity of students studying and practicing English in the Philippines

has been growing exponentially over the past ten years. A lot of students who were just

starting to learn the English language pick the Philippines on the grounds because of the

language study programs being offered to new students, and numerous language study

programs were offered online which options or alternatives are joined with short-term, on-

site training. In fact, in the year span of 2004 to 2012, the Philippines saw approximately

about five times the quantity of students selecting and enrolling in English language

courses, and in the year 2012, the government provided short-term course study

programs to approximately 31,000 students, a large number of which were enlisting in

English language programs. Filipino English language programs are remarkably

affordable compared with programs in native English speaking countries such as the

United States and United Kingdom.

 According to Mr. Hyun Jin Hwang, a Korean national who’s currently studying the

English language in the country and lives in the Korea Town in Pampanga for a year,

Koreans go in the Philippines to study English for them to get into their dream universities

in South Korea. He stated that if one student is proficient, have an average or high

knowledge about the English language, this could be a strength compared to other

student in getting in to universities. He explained that South Korean universities are very

prestigious or high to them that getting into your dream university is very hard. Mr. Hwang

also mentioned that compared to those native English speaking countries, Filipinos’

accent when speaking English is very good and it is really easy to comprehend with. It is

because those native English speakers have certain accents that provides foreigners who

are not from English speaking countries really find it hard to comprehend. For instance,

the accent of Australian nationals when speaking English. They have this distinct accent

that makes English words quite tricky as they sometimes pronounce it differently as it

should be really pronounce.

South Korea is very known for being a country that takes recycling and waste

management seriously. Koreans recycle everything, even things you didn’t expect that

could be recycled. Korea uses a system called jongnyangje for the effective collection of

garbage wastes and the reuse of natural resources. All garbage you produce must be

disposed of properly, and you may be fined otherwise. Garbage must be separated

according to whether it is "common garbage" (ilban sseuregi) , food waste (eumsikmul

sseuregi), recyclable (jaehwal yongpum) which are glass, plastic, paper/cardboard,

styrofoam, and aluminum, and large waste objects (daehyeong pyegimul). They also
have this certain machine called RFID food waste disposal system that is able to weigh

how much trash each household generates (preferably food wastes) and bill it

accordingly. You can also recycle things that you don’t expect that it could be recycled

such as sofas and TV sets. Recycling in Korea may sound like a hassle, but it’s not a

problem if you deal with it right.

We have big expectations that the Korea Town will somehow have a clean

neighborhood knowing that Koreans are very orderly and practices proper recycle and

waste disposal. As we walked further through the neighborhood, there are some vacant

lands that were filled with trashes. It’s quite surprising because there is such a thing in

Korea Town. Hygiene in such areas and implementation of hygiene standards is the best

way to gain the trust of customers. Knowing that Pampanga Korea Town consists of more

than 20 Korean restaurants, the place should stay clean, hygienic, and orderly as possible

at all times. Hygiene in such areas is extremely important in order to maintain food health

standards.

Area in Pampanga Korea Town

 Good hygiene is all about controlling harmful bacteria, which can cause serious

illness. Without good sanitary precautions to this kind of areas, there could be a lot of

harm. It can lead to cross-contamination which is when bacteria are spread between food,

surfaces or equipment. It is most likely to happen when raw food touches (or drips onto)

ready-to-eat food, equipment or surfaces, an insect coming to ready-to-eat food, or

because of bad bacteria spreading through wind.

Based on what we saw in the area, we suggest that the Korea Town community

should have proper sanitary practices and policies so that it could maintain the reputation

that has been established by the town. Also, as it is a Korean neighborhood, the

community can replicate the way Koreans in South Korea have their waste disposal

strategy. The community can have their way of trash segregation by having different

garbage bins to segregate specific type of trash. If not followed, just like in South Korea,

persons in charge or the business itself will be fined. Based on the policies of Angeles,

Pampanga, the government is responsible for sanitary inspection of all business

establishment selling food items or providing accommodation such as hotels, motels,

lodging houses, pension houses, and the like, in accordance with the Sanitation Code. If

known that the sanitary standard was not reached, this could lead to worst case scenario,

closure of the business.

Having a day with exploring new things is very informative. Even though having

this kind of activity is a bit tiring and having information overload but it isn’t because our

group actually enjoyed our stay in Pampanga Korea Town. This experience is something
that I find fascinating as I was able to explore new things together with my group. Over-

all, I would rate Pampanga Korea Town 7 out of 10 based on our stay and experience.

The people there are very accommodating, even though we spontaneously ask them for

an interview, they gladly agreed. The whole town really showed what the South Korean

culture really is as almost everything that South Korea can be seen there. It is like legit

going to South Korea without riding a plane. I wish the problems with the town could be

fixed or at least have some improvements and that would really make the town more

appealing.