South Korea Consulate to Open in Cebu on March 17
Korean tourists in Rizal Park. FILE PHOTO BY BERNARD TESTA
CEBU CITY – To serve the 400,000 South Koreans who visit Visayas every year and process the visa applications of Visayans seeking to travel to South Korea, the Republic of Korea is set to open a consular office in Cebu on March 17, an official said.
Korean Consul General Lee Ki-seog said Filipinos who want to process their visa can also do it in Cebu.
“We can issue visa in Cebu and there is no need for them to go to Manila. It is convenient and time-saving,” said Lee.
The consulate in Cebu will have jurisdiction on the consular affairs over the entire Visayas, including Cebu, Iloilo, Bohol, and Boracay.
These areas are most visited by Koreans in the country.
More than 35,000 Koreans live in Cebu.
The need to establish the Korean consulate has been consistently raised with the growing number of South Koreans visiting the region.
“The Philippine government has pushed ahead to establish the Korean consulate in Cebu for the facilitation of issuing the visa for Filipinos and other consular services,” a statement read.
The Korean consulate is also planning to provide general consular services such as managing the passports, notarization, issuing visa for Filipinosm and coping with Korean-related incidents or accidents rapidly and efficiently.
Lee said Koreans come to Cebu through the eight direct flights between Cebu and Korea daily.
Aside from the daily international flights, Lee said the beaches in Cebu are awesome, the Cebuanos are friendly and hospitable, and the food is delicious.