THE chairman of the tourism committee of the City Council of Cebu welcomed the plan of the Korean government to open a consular office in Cebu.
Cebu City Councilor James Cuenco said stationing Korean diplomats in Cebu and not just an honorary consul would be better as issues and concerns with the Korean community can be readily addressed.
Over the weekend, Ken Choi, president of the Cebu Korean Association Inc. said the foreign ministry of Korea is planning to open a consular officer primarily because of the significant number of Korean tourists and expatriates in Cebu.
Cebu’s Korean community has around 400,000 tourists and expatriates. With the expected opening of more Korea – Cebu flights, the number could increase significantly.
Cuenco said that the Korean population here has rapidly grown the last few years that they have already overtaken the number of Japanese tourists who used to top tourism arrivals.
Cuenco said that having a consular office here will benefit both the Korean residents and visitors in Cebu as well as Filipinos in the Visayas and Mindanao who need not travel to Manila to apply for entry visas to Korea.
Having Korean diplomats here will also bring the Korean government closer to their nationals and impose discipline on them when necessary.
Sister city
Cebu City has a sister city relationship with Yeosu in South Korea.
The city even hosted dancers from Yeosu who came to perform during the weekend Korean Day celebration, Cuenco said. /Doris C. Bongcac, Chief of Reporters