By the Asia Society Korea
Ambassador Raul S. Hernandez of the Republic of Philippines in Seoul was presented with an Ambassador of the Year Award by the Asia Society on Dec. 9, 2016 for his active involvement and support of the Society’s objectives and contributions to Philippine-Korea relations and to the diplomatic community in Korea.
Presenting the Award to Ambassador Hernandez were Asia Society Korea Center Honorary Chairman and former Prime Minister Dr. Hong-Koo Lee and former Minister of Foreign Minister Sung-Joo Han, who handed a crystal Leogryph to Ambassador Hernandez at the End of Year Dinner at the Crystal Ballroom in Lotte Hotel Seoul as part of the Asia 21 Young Leaders Summit on that day.
Asia Society is a global non-profit organization founded in 1956 by John D. Rockefeller III, dedicated to promoting mutual understanding and strengthening partnerships among peoples, leaders and institutions in the Asia Pacific region through its 12 global centers in the US and Asia.
In his acceptance speech, Ambassador Hernandez thanked the Asia Society for the “prestigious honor.”
He said: “I hope to have somehow contributed to your mission of deepening cooperation among countries in the Asia-Pacific region in the areas of arts and culture, business, policy, and education.”
He praised the Society for establishing its 12th global center for cross-cultural understanding and collaboration between the East and the West in Seoul in 2008.
“The confluence of Seoul’s rise as a new center of business, technology, culture, education, and logistics as well as my own country’s emergence as a haven of economic stability has made my work to deepen our relations a lot easier,” Ambassador Hernandez said.
Former recipients of the Award include: Former Ambassadors John Prasetio of Indonesia, Jasem Abudaiwi of Kuwait, Vishnu Prakash of India and William Paterson of Australia.