Filipino-Korean children celebrate 70th anniversary of S. Korea-Philippines ties

Cast members of a Filipino Korean musical perform on stage at CJ Azit Auditorium in Jongno, Seoul, Sunday. (Karl Garcia Photography)

SEOUL — Filipino Korean children staged a musical Sunday commemorating the 70th anniversary of bilateral relations between South Korea and the Philippines.

Performed bilingually in Korean and Tagalog, the musical was an adaptation of Korean folktale “Heungbu and Nolbu” dating back to the late Joseon era.

The show staged at CJ Azit Auditorium in Jongno, central Seoul, was directed by Cherish Maningat, a Filipina stage actress based in Korea, and choreographed by Park Eun-hee.

“We have assembled a cast of talented Filipino Korean children — Althea, Arabella, Eunice, Eunjong, Joomi, Chungyon, Donghyuk, Kwanseung, Hojun, and Seunghyun — for the show celebrating diplomatic ties between two countries,” the organizers said.

Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon and Justice Party Chairwoman Sim Sang-jeong sent congratulatory video messages for the event.

Among those in the audience were Lyza S. Viejo, vice consul of the Philippine Embassy to South Korea, and former Vice Minister of Culture Park Sun-kyu.

The project was jointly organized by the Korea Cultural Diversity Organization and Filipino Korean Heritage Association, and sponsored by the Seoul Metropolitan Government, CJ Cultural Foundation and Woongjin Foundation.