PRESS RELEASE First Korean Architectural Film Festival in Manila Launches in June   Celebrating the unwavering relationship between the Philippines and Korea, the Korean Cultural Center in the Philippines (KCC) in partnership with Film Development Council of the Philippines (FDCP) and Seoul International Architecture Film Festival (SIAFF) will launch the first "Korean Architectural Film Festival on June 1, 2018, at FDCP Cinematheque Manila.   Korea has been hosting the Seoul International Film Festival for ten years but it is the first time for the festival to be held overseas.  The three-day festival, happening from June 1 to 3 in Maniila, hosts an inspiring program of talks, specially-curated screenings of films and documentaries with director question and answer segment, as well as photo installations that will add a creative part to the festival.   The films explore architecture's creative and innovative pursuits. The featured length & short films touch upon topics such as urban planning, innovative housing architecture and include exclusive windows into the minds of Korean architects Itami Jun, Doojin Hwang, Hyoungnam Lim and Eunjoo Roh.   The opening film ‘Ecology in Concrete' explores the system behind the urban planning of Seoul, Korea. The collection of stories with city planners, architects, real estate agents and residents captures the city of Seoul dealt with the need for a more and better housing at the of its vivid growth.   Architecture forum and discussion   Korean and Filipino experts on architecture and filmmaking will be joining the two-day Architecture forum and discussion on June 1 to 2 at FDCP.   Four Korean architects and filmmakers will fly from Korea to share their insights on urbanism and architecture in films. Yun Jae Seon, a commissioner of Seoul International Architecture Film Festival (SIAFF) and the head of Team153 Architecture Co., is active in doing architectural culture activities. He strives to make urban architecture a pop culture.   Kim Young Woo is film Curator, programmer, and festival consultant. Since 2014, he joined the selection committee of Busan International Film Festival as a programmer-in-charge of Asian cinema. He has been a member of the selection committee of Asian Cinema Fund (ACF) and Asian Network of Documentary (AND) Fund and involving Asian Project Market (APM) as well.   Kim Jeong In is a practicing architect and professor at Soongsil University, in Seoul. Many of his critical frameworks about the emerging field of transnational cultural studies appeared on the Journal of Architecture published by the Royal Institute of British Architects, Planning Perspectives published by the International Planning History Society, and Architectural Research Quarterly published by the Cambridge University Press. He has also been invited to several universities in Europe and North America delivering public lectures and exhibitions about architecture and urbanism in Seoul.   Filipino Architect Gerry Torres and filmmaker Jose Javier Reyes will complete the panelists of the forum.  Arch. Torres is the former Director of Metropolitan Museum of Manila and currently the Director of Center for Campus Art at De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde.   Reyes, a renowned director, and filmmaker in the Philippines is currently the Chairman of the Digital Film Program at De La Salle College of St. Benilde's School of Design and Arts. He is also a member of Cinemalaya's Screening Committee and Festival Competition Director of CineFilipino Film Foundation's CineFilipino Film Festival.   Philippine Architecture Film Screenings   Aside from Korean architectural films, two architecture-themed films showcasing Philippine architecture will be screened in the film festival.   ‘Masterbuilders: Pioneers of 20th Century Philippine Architecture and Allied Arts' is a documentary that focuses on the pioneers of the architecture and design in the Philippines probing their practice and relating their biographies with the social contexts in which they worked. ‘Arkitekturang Filipino' is a compelling scheme that charts the direction of the study of architecture in the Philippines. Does it resurrect the old question: Is there such a thing as Filipino architecture?   "Mega Seoul 4 Decades"   Seoul has served as the capital city of Korea over the past six centuries, but its landscape continues to undergo drastic changes. The city brims with conflicts between the traditional and modern, the repetition of destruction and construction, all against the backdrop of the city's rich history.    Selected photographs from The Museum of Photography, Seoul are to be displayed at FDCP during the festival. The photos capture the twists and turns of Seoul over the last 50 years from the perspective of Korean photographers.   “Chimaek” Socialization Night   On the opening night of the festival, June 1, guests will have a chance to experience a “Chimaek” party or Chicken and Beer party. In Korea, it has established itself as a popular food culture where festivals with the theme of "Chimaek" are held. The “Chimaek” party after the film screening will serve as a chance for the guests to interact with the Filipino and Korean architects present at the event.   Admissions to the film screenings are FREE. Complete film schedule is available at http://phil.korean-culture.org

PRESS RELEASE   ‘2018 Pinoy K-pop Star’ Online Audition Starts   The annual talent search competition for Filipino K-pop performers and cover groups begins as Korean Cultural Center in the Philippines (KCC) launch the online auditions for the 2018 Pinoy K-pop Star.   The 2018 Pinoy K-pop Star is the Philippine finals for the 2018 K-POP World Festival in Changwon, Korea on October 5. This competition will have two categories—the vocal category, a singing competition, and the performance category, which is both a singing and dancing competition.   Interested parties, preferably 18 years old and above, need to upload audition videos on YouTube and send it to Korean Cultural Center on or before June 18. Grand prize winners of the 2017 Pinoy K-pop Star competition, former grand prize winners of the Pinoy K-pop Star competition who already represented the Philippines in Korea and professional singers and dancers who have made their debut in the Philippines are no longer eligible to join the contest.   The announcement of finalists is on June 29. The grand finals will be held on July 22, Sunday at Samsung Hall, SM Aura, Taguig City.   The grand prize winners of these two categories will represent the country in the first round of semi-finals of the K-pop World Festival which will be held online. If the Philippine representatives qualify for the grand finals in Korea, they will fly to Korea to join the grand finals competition on October 5.   For the complete set of guidelines, contact the Korean Cultural Center at (02) 555-1711 or email kccphevents@gmail.com. You can also visit http://phil.korean-culture.org/ for more information.

PRESS RELEASE Annual Korean Cooking Competition Opens Application   Korean Cultural Center in the Philippines, in partnership with Lyceum of the Philippines University (LPU) Culinary Institute, is now accepting applications for its annual "Global Taste of Korea" happening on June 23 at LPU Culinary Institute. The annual cooking contest is open to all cooks, culinary school students, and the general public who have an interest in Korean cuisine. The contest is divided into two categories: Bulgogi Battle and Freestyle cooking. For the Bulgogi battle, participants should make a dish using Bulgogi or Korean grilled meat as the main ingredient either in a Traditional or Contemporary style within one hour. In Freestyle cooking, participants should prepare a single-menu Korean dish (ex: Bibimbap, Japchae, Tteokbokki) either in a Traditional or Fusion style. For this year, the grand winners of both categories will win 15,000 pesos cash prize. The best Korean cook among the participants will win a roundtrip to Korea courtesy of Korea Tourism Organization. Application starts on May 10 to June 1, 2018. The complete set of guidelines and the application form may be downloaded from the Center's official website http://phil.korean-culture.org and submitted via email or at the Korean Cultural Center office. For further information and queries on the guidelines, please contact the Korean Cultural Center at (02) 555-1711 or email kccphevents@gmail.com.

PRESS RELEASE Workshop for Traditional Korean Sword Dance held at UP, Ateneo, KCC KCC Nara Team with KCC Traditional Dance instructor Jo Jang Eun (second from the left), Ryu JaeYeon of National Gugak Center and KCC Director LEE Jincheol KCC Nara Team with KCC Traditional Dance instructor Jo Jang Eun (second from the left), Ryu JaeYeon of National Gugak Center and KCC Director LEE Jincheol Korean Cultural Center in the Philippines (KCC) provided a series of traditional Korean sword dance workshop last April 16 to 27 at University of the Philippines, Ateneo De Manila University, and KCC.  The workshop is one of the overseas programs of National Gugak Center in Korea. About 40 people participated in the workshop which was supervised by Ryu JaeYeon, the Assistant Principal of National Gugak Center. After the successful Sword Dance workshop at KCC last year, this year's workshop provided a more advanced program to the participants.  It provided the experience of Korean traditional dance not just to Team NARA, the traditional Korean dance team of KCC, but also to 'Kimchi to K-Pop' class of the University of Philippines and Korean studies Program of Ateneo de Manila University. "When I think about Korean dance, I always imagine the fancy group dances of K-Pop. However, throughout the sword dance workshop, I discovered another side of Korean culture. The traditional costume that I wore during the workshop was also fascinating. Now I can say that I also love the Korean traditional dance," said one of the participants of the workshop. "It was such a meaningful time to give the students an opportunity to experience Korean traditional culture aside from K-Pop," said Choi JaKyoung of Ateneo de Manila University. KCC Director LEE Jincheol is very pleased with the outcome of the workshop. "Thanks to this year's workshop, the NARA team can improve their skills further, and I am glad that they can now showcase a more advanced performance. With this, I will do my best to have the Nara team showcase the Korean traditional dance all over the Philippines," said Director LEE.

To widen the foundation of K-POP and Hallyu in the Philippines the “2018 K-POP COVER DANCE FESTIVAL in the PHILIPPINES” will be held on April 22 6 PM at Tanghalang Pasigueño. Winner of this year’s competition will be invited to the “2018 K-POP COVER DANCE FESTIVAL WORLD FINALS” which will be held in Korea! See you on Sunday! Event Information: 2018 K-POP Cover Dance Festival in Philippines Date of the event: 22 April, 2018 (Sunday) Venue: Tanghalang Pasigueño