REPUBLIC OF KOREA
REPUBLIC OF KOREA
From Left to Right: Acting President Dr. Kyoo-Jae Shin and Philippine Ambassador to the Republic of Korea HE Theresa Dizon-De Vega.
On 27 September 2022, Ambassador Theresa Dizon-De Vega and Acting President Dr. Kyoo-Jae Shin formalized a Philippine Government grant to the Busan University of Foreign Studies (BUFS). Conceptualized by Philippine Senate President Pro Tempore Loren Legarda as part of the global "Advancing Philippine Studies Program," this initiative seeks to strengthen bilateral ties through academic exchange and deeper intercultural understanding.
The grant is specifically dedicated to enhancing the university's Philippine Studies courses—focusing on history, society, culture, and language—while supporting academic research on Filipino communities and outreach for Korean and international students. Attended by BUFS officials including Dr. Kwang- woo Park, Dr. Dongyeob Kim and members of the Korean Institute for ASEAN Studies and the Embassy's Cultural Officer, Anthony Cornista, the ceremony underscored a mutual commitment to fostering renewed scholarly engagement between the Philippines and South Korea.
This program aims to inspire and support children from Filipino multicultural families in Korea to become specialists in Korean-Philippine relations. The project was conducted from January to February 2023. There were 10 scholarship recipients.
Busan University of Foreign Studies (BUFS), formerly romanized as Pusan University of Foreign Studies, is a private institution in Busan, South Korea, specializing in foreign language education. Established in 1981 by Chung Tae-sung and opened in 1982, it attained university status in 1991 and relocated to its Namsan-dong campus on the slopes of Mount Geumjeongsan in 2014. By 2009, BUFS had formed academic exchange partnerships with 94 universities across 24 countries, reflecting its commitment to collaboration and education.
BUFS comprises seven colleges, four graduate schools, and nine research institutes. Its language programs are housed within three colleges—English, Japanese, and Chinese; Occidental Studies; and Oriental Studies—alongside programs in international studies, Korean as a foreign language and literature, international law, international business, and information technology. The university also offers a wide range of Western and Asian languages.