Pinoy group: Situation in South Korea 'calm, normal'




 A group of Filipino scholars based in Seoul on Monday said there is no need to worry about them since the situation in South Korea remains "calm" and "normal" despite North Korea's declaration of a "state of war."

"We just want to assure anyone especially our families tsaka 'yung friends namin diyan that things remain calm and normal here in Korea, so business as usual po tayo," Eva Marie Wang, president of the Pinoy Iskolars in Korea (PIKO), said in an interview on GMA News TV's "Balitanghali."

PIKO is an official student organization recognized by the Philippine Embassy in Seoul.

In the phone interview, Wang said people in South Korea don't seem to be affected by the possibility of a war with North Korea, as they continue going to work and school as if there is no threat of danger.

"Actually ngayon po ako nga nagsusulat pa ako ng critical paper para sa klase ko so business as usual po tayo.  I think mas kami [Filipinos] 'yung nag-aalangan than the Koreans," she said.

Wang, however, said that the Philippine Embassy has advised them to follow the news and to remain in contact with them.

"The Philippine Embassy is in touch with different Filipino communities here in Korea and we're waiting for instructions as the need arises so we can relay the information to our respective communities," Wang said.

"As of now wala pang movement but I think the Philippine Embassy is actually thinking of the plan na evacuation but there's no specific pa na instruction so we're still waiting for instructions as of now," she added.

She said that there are 450 Filipino students in South Korea while there are around 80,000 Filipinos overall in the country.

On Saturday, North Korea declared it was in a "state of war" against South Korea and warned that any provocation would swiftly escalate into an all-out nuclear conflict.

President Benigno Aquino III has already ordered the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) to coordinate closely with Filipinos in Korea amid the escalating tension.

On Monday, South Korea said it will strike back if North Korea attacks its territory. — Kimberly Jane Tan/KBK, GMA News

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

PCG: China’s bullying in West Philippine Sea undermines international law --- Ghio Ong - The Philippine Star

MANILA, Philippines — Letting China sustain its aggression in the West Philippine Sea would make other countries doubt the strength of international law currently being asserted by the Philippines, Commodore Jay Tarriela of the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) said. “Allowing China to blatantly disregard the established rules-based order threatens the very foundation that we all depend on,” he wrote in a post on X last Tuesday. He added, “If we permit this, countries worldwide may forget why this order was created in the first place. Nations could begin to doubt the significance of adhering to international law if powerful bullies can easily violate it.” Tarriela also said defiance of other countries to a rules-based order would result in the prevalence of cruelty. He wrote, “This could lead us back to a time when might makes right, undermining the global structures that keep human greed, savagery and barbarism in check. Such a scenario would not only invite challenges from aggressive ...
Read more

China ships maintain presence in key West Philippine Sea areas --- Michael Punongbayan - The Philippine Star

STAR / Michael Varcas MANILA, Philippines — While Chinese vessels in the West Philippine Sea (WPS) have decreased in number, they have maintained a presence in three key land features where naval and coast guard ships have intensified operations in the past seven days, according to the Philippine Navy. Latest monitoring by the Philippine Navy showed armed ships of the People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) maintaining a menacing presence around the grounded BRP Sierra Madre in Ayungin Shoal, Panatag Shoal and Escoda Shoal. According to the Philippine Navy, there are 17 Chinese military vessels and 28 China Coast Guard (CCG) boats spotted inside the country’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ) between Sept. 23 and 30, or one vessel more than in the previous week Sept.17-23. Five of the warships were seen roaming around the vicinity of Escoda Shoal, along with 10 CCG vessels and 12 maritime militia vessels (MMVs). There are also two PLAN ships in Ayungin Shoal as well as 10 CCG boats and 12...
Read more

Social media seen as cause of rising intermarriages --- Helen Flores - The Philippine Star

MANILA, Philippines — The Commission on Filipinos Overseas (CFO) sees social media as the main reason for the rising number of Filipinos marrying or becoming partners of foreign nationals. In 2022, the CFO recorded 6,854 marriages or partnerships with foreign nationals, a 40.1 percent increase from the 4,891 “intermarriages” recorded in 2021. “First of all, what we see in the increase in the marriage rate of Filipinos or Filipinos with foreign partners is because of social media, (that) is number one; matchings; letters, introduction of their friends,” CFO chairperson Romulo Arugay said at the Bagong Pilipinas Ngayon public briefing yesterday. Arugay said the agency has been registering a high number of intermarriages since 2007, but the figures went down during the COVID-19 pandemic. From over 6,500 Filipinos who married foreign nationals, only 600 are men, he said. Most of them are married to Americans, Japanese, Germans, Canadians and Australians, Arugay said. Arugay warned Fi...
Read more