Iloilo showcases Ilonggo, Korean cultures in the 1st Korean-Ilonggo Friendship Festival this September!

Dubbed the Korean-Ilonggo Friendship Festival, it showcases the blending of Ilonggo and Korean cultures and aims to strengthen the friendship between the Koreans and the Ilonggos. The week-long festival on September 17 to 22 is organized by the Iloilo Korea United Community Association Inc. More details after the jump.

The festival’s organizers will bring in artists and models from Korea to perform, among them the Step Girl and Karen groups and the XLR8. There will also be mall exhibits and fashion shows during the festival week, that will feature culture, places and dresses of Korea.

The exhibits will be mounted at SM City starting September 21, while the festival concert will be at the Central Philippine University Gym. A food festival at Delgado Street on September 22 will also offer Korean and Ilonggo cuisines.

City Tourism Officer Ben Jimena said they have long been planning to organize the event that aims to strengthen friendship between the Koreans and the Ilonggos.

Jimena said the event is a cross-cutting of cultural fusion of the Koreans and the Ilonggos and would create greater awareness of the presence of the former in Iloilo.

He said there are about 3,000 Koreans in this city and 70 percent of them are students.

Jimena added that Koreans are the city’s top foreign visitors, based on records of the hotels here.

Meanwhile Moon Dae Jin or Tiger Moon, vice president of the Iloilo Korea United Community Association Inc. said they are happy to have chosen Iloilo and they will campaign for more Koreans to come here.

“The festival would surely attract our compatriots,” Tiger Moon said.

Tourism Officer-in-Charge Regional Director Helen Catalbas said she lauded the endeavor for this will surely increase the city’s tourism statistics and receipts.

Iloilo's 1st Korean-Ilonggo Friendship Festival Schedule of Activities:

September 17 – 22, 2012 – Korean Culture Exhibit @ SM City Iloilo
September 21, 2012 – KPOP Fashion Concert @ Central Philippine University Gymnasium
September 22, 2012 – Food Festival @ Delgado Street