THE VIEW FROM RIZAL

News that the President of South Korea had declared martial law hit the internet around midnight on Tuesday last week. This development sent shockwaves in the Asian region and elsewhere in the world. The move was unexpected and caught everyone by surprise, even his country’s closest allies. There were instant worries that the move by the South Korean President could ignite a new political and military powder keg.

For a brief, anxious moment, the world watched the tense situation between elements of South Korea’s military and civilians, including members of its parliament, media, and concerned citizens who came out and rallied in front of its legislative building. We joined the collective sigh of relief as the South Korean President later announced that he was reversing his earlier declaration of martial law, a move which eased the tension and assured the continuing reign of democracy in his country.

We could not help but follow these developments. After all, South Korea is close to our hearts in more ways than one. It can be said that the relationship between Filipinos and South Koreans is a longstanding “love affair.”

That “love affair” started in 1950, 74 years ago, when our country came to the aid of South Korea when war broke out between the two Koreas. Some 1,500 Filipino soldiers became part of the United Nations contingent which fought alongside South Korean fighters. Our soldiers were part of the famous “PEFTOK” which stood for “Philippine Expeditionary Forces to Korea.” 

Our elders who saw action in that war told us about the bravery of our PEFTOK soldiers. 

Their gallantry was recognized by the people of South Korea. According to their stories, South Koreans cried in gratitude as our soldiers left their land to return home. Our soldiers were known for their bravery, a virtue honed on the battlefield of the Second World War and the military campaign against communist insurgents.

Among our PEFTOK veterans, three names stood out. The first was Fortunato Abat who would later become secretary of National Defense after serving as commanding general of the Philippine Army during the administration of the late President Ferdinand Marcos, Sr. He also served in the diplomatic corps.
The second was Colonel Venancio Serrano, the recipient of some 40-plus medals recognizing his gallantry in the Korean War. He is, perhaps, the most popular veteran of that war. His exploits were reportedly the basis for the 1952 movie “Korea” which was headlined by the most popular screen names of that time.

One of the best-known streets in Quezon City was named after him: Colonel “Bonny” Serrano Avenue.

The third was former President Fidel V. Ramos himself. He was hailed as one of the heroes of the most famous battles in the Korean War, referred to as the “Battle of Eerie Hill.” There, he displayed his strategic brilliance, as well as his standout skills in leadership and engineering.

Our deep friendship with the people of South Korea grew even more in the aftermath of that war. 

Today, South Korea is one of our country’s most valuable economic partners. According to the Department of Trade and Industry, it is now the fifth biggest trading partner of the Philippines with bilateral trade valued at $12.02 billion (based on 2023 figures). Just last October, President Bongbong Marcos Jr. addressed the Philippines-Korea Business Forum and extended his invitation to Korean businessmen to expand their investments in the country.

Today, South Koreans top the list of tourists coming to our country. Based on government statistics, some 1.5 million South Korean tourists have visited the country during the first 11 months of this year. Americans come in second at 0.8 million, nearly just half of tourist arrivals from South Korea.
We are also undoubtedly among the biggest fans of Korean bands and Korean telenovelas. 

When the Korean “Hallyu” or “Korean wave” hit our country in the early 2000s, we quickly embraced the cultural expressions of that phenomenon. We found deep kinship and affinity with the wide range of emotions Korean actors portrayed in the daytime and early evening K-dramas aired on our local networks. From the 2003 “Successful Story of a Bright Girl” to “My Name is Kim San Soon” to “Coffee Prince” to the phenomenal “Jewel in the Palace,” many of our telenovela aficionados glued themselves to their TV sets to follow the romantic plots of their favorite K-drama.

Observers explain our fascination with K-drama to their “relatability.” Our dreams and aspirations, our struggles in life and love, and all the emotions that accompany them these are no different from those of our South Korean friends.

Recent developments in Seoul underscored one important thing we have in common with them: Our shared love for democracy.

We hope that South Korea will return to normalcy as soon as possible. We pray that the historical hiccup our South Korean friends experienced would further cement our shared commitment to the ideals of democracy.

(The author is the mayor of Antipolo City, former Rizal governor, DENR assistant secretary and LLDA general manager. Email: [email protected])