11 March 2004 - Ambassador Son Sang-ha recently ended  his term as Ambassador Extraordinary and
 Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Korea to the  Philippines.  Ambassador Son has been instrumental in  forging closer ties at the highest level between the  Philippines and Korea, which culminated in the  official visit of the late Secretary of Foreign  Affairs Blas F. Ople on 5-8 May 2003 and the State  Visit of President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo on 2-4 June  2003. President Arroyo was the first Head of State to be invited by President Roh Moo-hyun to visit Korea,  just a few days after his inauguration.

 During his farewell call on President Arroyo on 24  February 2004, the President awarded Ambassador Son
 the “Order of Sikatuna with the Rank of Datu” for his  efforts to deepen and strengthen the bilateral  relations between the Philippines and Korea.

 Under his term, Korea provided the Philippines a US$10  million grant in return for assistance in facilitating
 the transit of North Korean refugees through Manila  from China enroute to South Korea. The grant has been
 allocated for the Korea-Philippines Vocational  Training Center in Davao and two Korea-Philippines  I.T. Training Centers in Luzon. The vocational  training center in Davao had its groundbreaking  ceremony on 6 February 2004.

 On 26 February 2004, Secretary of Foreign Affairs  Delia Domingo Albert hosted a farewell luncheon in
 honor of Ambassador Son.  During their meeting,  Secretary Albert expressed appreciation and gratitude
 for the US$ 10 million grant as well as the agreement  under which Korea, through the Economic Development
 Cooperation Fund, is to provide a US$35 million  low-interest loan for the Philippine National  Railways’ South Manila Commuter Rail Project.

 Ambassador Son on the other hand, expressed hope that  cooperation between the Philippines and Korea would  continue to expand in sectors, particularly tourism.   Korea currently ranks as the Philippines’ number one  source of tourists. Secretary Albert and Ambassador  Son agreed that this poses opportunities for greater tourism cooperation and cultural exchanges.

 Secretary Albert wished Ambassador Son well in his  future endeavors. “You are a true friend of the  Filipino people,” she said at the conclusion of the  dinner hosted for the Korean Ambassador. - END