_Note: The article was originally published in_** The Philippine Star** by the Korean Embassy in the Philippines in celebration of Korean National Day.

The Philippines and South Korea share a unique friendship deeply rooted in its shared history. At a time when the Philippines is still rebuilding from its World War 2 destruction, the country deployed thousands of its troops to fight alongside its comrades in the Korean War. This brotherhood will prove to be strong as both countries enter a new era of collaboration and traverse a much more different landscape in the 21st century.

Post-war South Korea has seen tremendous economic growth and advancement. As such, South Korea is now a global leader in research and development and innovativeness, attracting students from all over the world including the Philippines to hone their research and technological capabilities and pursue further education. This allows both the Philippines and South Korea to collaborate in the various fields of science and engineering, fostering a new era of friendship and linkage.

The future is already here, the future that was molded by bloodshed lives lost, and shared experiences between our two countries. We the youth of today are already the leaders in our own fields. We must create a society better than the one we grew up in.I hope that as students who had the great opportunity to study in Korea, we will forge into the future with fresh and bold ideas based on what we learned during our stay here, and use these to implement better policies for the people. As young professionals with special skill sets, I hope we will also effectively bridge the transfer of knowledge between the two countries and facilitate the continued collaboration between South Korea and the Philippines. These efforts will hopefully produce highly skilled people who will work to further develop our countries and improve the quality of living. The Philippines and South Korea will work and fight together, as it has always been, to make this world a better place.