FOR SURE, though, there is a considerable number of legitimate — and major — Korean investments in the country that have helped the local economy, in part by providing thousands of jobs. According to the Korean Chamber of Commerce, there are more than 1,000 businesses owned by Koreans in the Philippines. While these include small and medium ventures such as restaurants, groceries, and Internet cafés, Koreans own an estimated 250 large factories in special economic zones in the Philippines and are big players in the power and shipping sectors. They are also among the top investors in the tourism industry, according to regional media reports.

	A KOREAN grocery in Brgy. Holy Spirt, Quezon City. [photo by Isa Lorenzo]

South Korea is actually the Philippines' third biggest source of foreign investment, after the United States and Japan. In 2006, Korea invested $1.2 billion of the $3.5 billion that flowed into the Philippines. Reports indicate, however, that much of the money is being used for the ongoing $1-billion shipyard project inside the Subic Bay Freeport Zone in Zambales that is being undertaken by South Korea's Hanjin Heavy Industries and Construction Co. The shipyard will be the fourth largest in the world.

Aside from direct investment, Korea has also stepped up its overseas development assistance (ODA) to the Philippines. Between 1992 and 2006, ODA contributions from South Korea totaled $113.75 million. An official delegation from South Korea said recently that the Philippines is a top priority country for its ODA.

Korean ODA to the Philippines started in 1986, but these consisted of studies, training, and technical assistance projects that were not monitored by the National Economic Development Authority, because these were not part of a loan.

Ongoing Korean ODA projects have focused on infrastructure: the widening of the Gapan to Olongapo road, the NorthRail and SouthRail linkage project, and construction of the Laguinduingan airport in Cagayan de Oro City.

It's hard to tell if there is a correlation between South Korea's generous aid and the increase in the number of Koreans here. Perhaps it's a mere coincidence. Whatever the case, there's no denying that Koreans have been coming in droves in the last few years. Every week, 42 flights carrying Koreans arrive in Manila, Clark, Cebu, and Kalibo. The last was added just this May, and the charter flight was nearly flown by a Korean airline, until local fleets protested. All those flights, meanwhile, translate to at least 8,400 Koreans entering the country on a weekly basis.

Miralao says that among the things Filipinos find odd with the growing Korean population here is that "this goes against the usual migration pattern of people moving from poorer places and countries and going to richer and more developed ones."

But Koreans themselves say there is nothing unusual about their growing presence here. Sarang Lim says, "Many students come from Korea to learn English, because [the Philippines] is only three and a half hours away by plane."

The Philippines also offers a relatively comfortable lifestyle for little money, which works for parents who want to accompany their children who will be studying here. Miralao says that while Korea's increasing prosperity has enabled its rich families to send their children to school in the United States or other Western countries, middle-class families come to countries like the Philippines.

The sociologist also says that while the proximity and lower cost of studying in the Philippines are important factors behind the influx of Korean students, the Philippines has also gained a reputation among Koreans for having quality schools and universities and being a good place to learn English. (Many students double as tourists as well, making repeat visits during their summer or winter break to combine their English lessons while sightseeing.)

In 1998, there were 1,543 Korean students in Philippine colleges and universities, according to the Commission on Higher Education. Last year, the number of students rose to an estimated 100,000, according to Malacañang. The government has accredited 215 schools to teach Koreans. (see table)

TOP 8 METRO MANILA UNIVERSITIES WHERE KOREAN STUDENTS STUDY Source: Korean Directory, Philippines, 1998, Commission on Higher Education * data for the University of the Philippines unavailable for 2006
YEAR	UNIVERSITY	NO. OF STUDENTS
1998	University of the East	90
	University of the Philippines	40
	Philippine Christian University	31
	University of Santo Tomas	29
	Centro Escolar University	21
	De La Salle University	19
	Gregorio Araneta University	10
	Philippine Women's University	5
2006	University of Santo Tomas	100
	University of the East	70
	Centro Escolar University	69
	Mapua Institute of Technology	12
	Assumption College	10
	Emilio Aguinaldo College	7
	Our Lady of Fatima University	2
	Central College	1

LEARNING ENGLISH is an important skill for Koreans, as they must take the Test of English for International Communication (TOEIC) in order to work. TOEIC scores also help determine their salary.

Thus, for every Korean who enrolls in university in this country, many more are taking intensive English language courses. Last year, the BI issued 1,871 student visas (9f) to South Korean nationals, in addition to four Korean students who had already arrived with student visas. The bureau also issued 21,876 special study permits to Koreans.

It used to be harder to get a student visa — one had to be already accepted into a four-year university program and secure a visa from one's place of origin. But during the mid-'90s, the BI relaxed its requirements to attract more students from abroad. Tourists can now convert their visas to student visas, and special study permits are issued for short courses that last from two to three months. Once a foreigner is granted a student (9f) visa, he or she is considered a temporary resident.

The high value Koreans place on education is only one of the many things they have in common with Filipinos. So, too, is their love of family. But circumstances have ensured that it is the differences that are emphasized, and what may be isolated incidents are highlighted and applied to the entire community. Some Filipinos, for instance, have complained that Koreans could be obnoxious golfers on the green, wantonly shove and elbow their way through crowds of people in malls, and uproot pieces of coral and giant clams from the sea floor whenever they scuba dive. Academic Lily Ann Polo also says Korean managers are perceived as "too pushy, demanding, inflexible, hot-tempered, and easily prone to physically or verbally abuse Filipino workers."

Polo says that Koreans, for their part, see Filipino workers as "having no sense of urgency, and having a tendency to chat and make jokes even while working." Even Korean students at local universities express exasperation over the so-called "Filipino time." Says Jacob Kim, a sociology sophomore whose parents are missionaries based in Pampanga: "It's disappointing when they show up two or three hours late and they don't feel (any remorse)."

The Koreans' inability to speak the local language and English has also made them the target of snide remarks from some Filipinos, as well as exposes them to abuse from malevolent elements in government agencies. One Korean student says — very carefully — that she has had to rely on English-language brochures because "immigration people are never kind to explain what's going on." She says many of her compatriots opt to pay "fixers" to get their papers as a result.

	KOREAN students from the Catholic University of Daegu visiting the University of Santo Tomas. [photo by Isa Lorenzo]

The advent of Koreanovelas on local TV, however, may help ease tensions, even by just a bit. At the very least, these give Koreans and Filipinos something to talk about, however haltingly. At the same time, the Korean soaps have managed to give Filipinos glimpses into Korean culture, which can only aid locals in understanding their somewhat reclusive guests a little better.

"(Koreanovelas) still show the old custom of bowing and the virtue of filial piety," marvels avowed fan Hannah Petrache. "You rarely see them eating at McDonald's, and when they want to get drunk, they drink soju (a local brew). They still believe in acupuncture and yet they are also open to modern medicine."

It could well be that language is one of the major reason why Koreans here have been reluctant to venture outside their tight circles. Lim, for instance, says that in her homeland, she used to be talkative and "lively." That changed after she and her family moved here. "I became quiet," she says. "I don't really show how I feel. I can't speak the language."

Still, after almost eight years of living in the Philippines, she can now speak a smattering of Taglish and can understand Filipino. Yet the architecture senior says she will not be staying in this country, where her family owns and runs a restaurant. Lim is barred from taking the Philippine licensure exam for her chosen profession, but she has no plans of changing citizenship just so she could work as an architect here. Instead, Lim says she will simply change her location and apply for an apprenticeship abroad.