The Embassy of the Republic of the Philippines in Korea announced a recent jump in the number of Koreans visiting the country, saying it aims to attract 2 million Korean tourists by the end of the year.

“Last year, we were able to achieve 1.6 million (Korean) tourists. Because of that we aim to work for 2 million Korean tourists this year of 2019. By the end of 2019, in December, I will be proud to say we achieved 2 million. I look forward to that,” Ambassador Noe Albano Wong, who took office Aug. 21, said during a press event Thursday at his residence in central Seoul. The event was held to celebrate tourism exchanges between Korea and the Philippines.

 

According to the embassy, the number of Koreans who visited the Philippines this year reached 1 million as of July, a 17 percent increase compared to the same period last year.  

At the event, the ambassador introduced traditional Filipino cuisine, including sisig, pig’s face, liver and belly simmered in water and spices; lumpiang gulay, deep-fried spring rolls; adobong manok, chicken stew; inihaw na baboy, pork barbeque; pancit palabok, noodles with shrimp-flavored sauce; biko, sweet rice cake dessert; and turon, deep-fried spring rolls filled with banana.

By Im Eun-byel (silverstar@heraldcorp.com)