THE Ateneo de Manila University recently hosted Korea’s Ambassador to the Philippines Lee Sang-hwa.

Lee paid a courtesy call to Ateneo President Fr. Roberto Yap SJ last month to discuss the Embassy’s commitment to support the Korean Studies Program “in fulfilling its mandate and establishing more partnerships with Korean institutions.”

He was joined by First Secretary Cho Seong Hyeon of the Political Affairs/Public Relations Section of the Embassy of the Republic of Korea in the Philippines.

“[H.E. Lee] acknowledged the crucial role that the academe plays in the public diplomacy efforts of Korea and in honing students to become more tolerant and open-minded global citizens,” Ateneo said.

“H. E. Lee expressed the Embassy’s appreciation of KSP as the first and only full-fledged academic program on Korean Studies in the Philippines. According to him, KSP can expect the Embassy’s continued support for its future endeavors and in fostering more connections, especially with Korean universities,” it added.

Meanwhile, Yap said that the university considers partnerships and collaborations in the sciences and engineering as important as those in the humanities and social sciences.

Yap also expressed Ateneo’s shared interest with the Embassy “to explore more ways to drive Korea-Philippines educational exchanges to greater heights.”

He similarly invited Lee to give a special lecture next semester, celebrating the 75th anniversary of Philippines-Korea relations, and Lee accepted the invitation graciously.