CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY — Two Mindanao-based journalists are this year’s Philippine representatives to an international media fellowship in Seoul, South Korea.
Iligan City-based freelance journalist Divina Suson, who also writes for the Philippine News Agency, and Frances Mae Macapagat, officer-in-charge of the Philippine Information Agency in the Davao region, were among the nine journalists from Southeast Asian countries chosen to participate in the fellowship organized by the Kwanhun Journalists Club and Korea Press Foundation.
The fellowship will last for 21 days, starting October 15.
Participants will engage in a series of lectures and discussions about issues related to journalism and new media with South Korean professors and media professionals.
The program will also provide avenues to enrich the participants’ knowledge on the various aspects of South Korea, enabling them to write in-depth stories about the country.
Participants will join the 2018 KPF Journalism Conference on Oct. 29-30 where topics such as peace journalism in the Korean Peninsula will be discussed.
Byung Wook Min, chairman of the Korea Press Foundation, said in his welcome remarks that the fellowship program, which began in 2012, aims to recognize the support that South Korea received from other countries during the Korean War.
“This year, we invite nine journalists from six ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) countries, which sent forces or provide support to South Korea in the Korean War, including the Philippines, Myanmar, Cambodia, Vietnam, Lao and Malaysia,” Min said.
He added that under the New Southern Policy Initiative of Korea’s Moon Jae-in government, the ASEAN plays an important role in the country’s economy, foreign affairs, and security.
“In this regard, President Moon will pay a visit to all 10 ASEAN countries by next year. His administration is also putting effort into strengthening cooperation with ASEAN countries by increasing the Korea-ASEAN cooperative funds by two-folds,” Min said.
The series of lectures and discussions during the fellowship program include the Korean Peninsula’s transition, peace and prosperity, and the diverse issues on Korea and the perspective of foreigners on Korean society.
They will also get to engage in discussions about the formation and development of global companies in Korea, its newspaper industry and journalism, and issues of the news industry and the participants’ countries.
During the four-week-long fellowship program, the participants will be given a chance to experience Korean culture, economy, and society.
“This program will also help you better understand the digital journalism. You can learn the know-how of the Korean press in detail and through internship programs at Korean media companies, you can find how they keep up with a new media environment,” Min added. (Nef Luczon and Divina Suson/PNA)
