What started as an embracing of foreign guests and their culture has gone to be a noticeable phenomena with a growing and increasingly noticeable presence of a Korean "diaspora" in the Philippines. To date there is an estimated 100, 000 Koreans living in the country while tourists (most are students) who visits every year has been steadily increasing for almost 5 years now.
In 2005, according to the Philippines' Commission on Higher Education, Koreans comprise 25% of the total number of foreign students enrolled in that year, in fact the highest number foreign nationals entering colleges and universities here. And with the increasing numbers of English learning school for Koreans in Baguio, Pasay City, Makati and Davao, the number of students not only exchange students have been steadily increasing.
The Department of Tourism reported that for the first half of 2008 a total of 380,000 Korean residents visited the Philippine compared to 375,000 for the same period last year. Making Koreans the largest group of tourists in the Philippines, surpassing the Americans and Japanese, with a steady average annual growth of 1.5% since 2005.
Koreatowns in Makati, Paranaque, Baguio City and even in Davao in Mindanao Islands are starting to be as prominent as the Chinatown in Binondo Manila. With Korean restaurants, Christian churches, salons, and spas sprouting here and there although Philippine law prohibits foreign nationals to engage on retail trade as well as purchasing of properties under their name. They do so by marrying Filipinas and / or making Filipino workers "owners" of their businesses.
The Philippines' low cost of living as well as its good reputation in English education, are just two of the many factors why this Southeast Asian country of 85 million people has been one of the favorite destinations of Koreans since the Korean wave hit Asia in the 1990s. "Korean wave" refers to the recent surge of popularity of South Korean popular culture in other countries, especially in Asian countries.
With this fast and at first unnoticed influx of Korean community, where existing barriers are now slowly disappearing, Korean community remained as a closed group compared to the Chinese and Indians residing in the country. Korean restaurants and stores cater mostly to Koreans alone compared to Chinese restaurants where everyone can eat and enjoy their menu. Though there is no big issue of discrimination , Koreans have been critised for keeping to themselves and by seemingly bringing Korea to the Philippines.
There are also reports of growing concerns on how Koreans behave themselves in hotels, clubs, resorts and other public places. This results to some hearsay that Koreans were banned in some private establishments. Some say this is alarming, others say that this is a big help to the country's struggling economy. Whatever the pros and cons, it is inevitable that the Korean diaspora has definitely made a mark and will continue to thrive just like the Chinese and Indian did many years ago.
About the author: Edwin Padillo is Manila-based correspondent for Business Trends Asia. This article appeared earlier on www.businesstrendsasia.com
