ANGELES CITY—Visitors to this city’s “Korea Town,” situated just outside the Clark Freeport and the Clark International Airport, have every chance to get an authentic feel and taste of South Korea in almost ev­ery nook and cranny.

The place’s name is etched on sidewalk concrete posts and written in both Korean and English, complete with the flags of the Philippines and Korea.

One of the posts bears a rusting metal plate for Resolution No. 6511, through which the legislative council, in 2012, declared every third week of October as Filipino-Korean Friendship Week in this city.

From this gateway, one could not help but explore because the place hosts a vast array of business establishments. For a visitor, this means lots of choices.

Korea Town spans six kilometers from Friendship Gate to the Angeles City-Porac town intersection. It covers several barangays, including Anunas, Cutcut, Pampang and Amsic, according to Kim Jung-hyun.

At 41, Kim knows Korea Town like the back of his hand because he runs the Best Travel Story Tour in this city.

Around here, where he goes by his other name, Antony, he is also senior vice president of the Korean Community Association Central Luzon Inc.

So the stretch of Friendship and its network of interior streets (that are part of residential subdivisions) are dotted with around 1,000 business establishments, mostly owned by Koreans. Some have been around for 10 years, like bakeries. Most of the signboards flash Korean characters.

There may be more, because around 1,000 establishments are registered in Anunas and Cutcut, said Enrico Romeo, officer in charge of the city government’s business permit and licensing division.

Restaurants alone count over 200, Kim points out. “They serve mostly authentic Korean food,” he says.

Thriving

Minus the parks and forest pockets, Korea Town’s landscape is dotted with cafés, bakeries, hotels, groceries, meat shops, beauty salons, sports centers, gyms, saunas, karaoke clubs and bars, gift and clothing outlets, pet shops, hardware stores, furniture and kitchenware stalls, medical clinics, thrift stores and more.

Aside from tteokbokki and dumplings that are ready to heat or cook, local groceries also sell Korean side dishes. Different brands of soju are available here.

Several shops selling paintings and handicraft items are remnants of the original Friendship Highway, where American troops had been stationed in Clark until 1991. The air base was closed days before Mt. Pinatubo’s eruption in June of that year.

The search for a specific place could be challenging because there are no clusters of similar shops on a particular street.

There are also no places exclusive to foreigners or Filipinos.

Online maps and navigation tools are helpful, and so are the tourist police. The association accepts queries in its building on Amur Street in Riverside Subdivision, behind Yugane, a restaurant on the main road near the bridge heading to Carmenville Subdivision.

Online reviews can help guide a visitor on where to eat, play, shop or rest. Some phones in Korean hotels answer inquiries in Filipino. Korean staff in restaurants are trained to speak English. Choosing what to eat is a breeze because menus feature photographs of dishes, even those that are grilled.

Choi Jong-pil, president of the association, said the establishments cater to both Koreans and Filipinos. “More Filipinos have frequented Korea Town since before the COVID-19 pandemic because of samgyupsal (grilled pork belly). It’s a favorite,” Choi said.

Next to airport

Korea Town emerged because of the Clark International Airport, Choi recalled. Starting in 2003, golfers from South Korea flew in via Asiana Airlines to play in Clark’s courses.

The Korean community in Angeles City, Choi said, has less than 15,000 members now. This is about half of the population of business owners, students, retired professionals and their families who stayed in the city shortly before the pandemic struck.

“We like it here because of the high quality of life at less expense,” he explained. “Filipinos are kind.”

Mayor Carmelo Lazatin Jr. said Korean business owners employ Filipinos and pay local taxes.

According to Choi’s estimates, business establishments owned by Koreans number about 5,000.

Choi has not left Angeles City since coming here in 2005. He has relocated his family here and runs the Jong Phil Language Center in the Pampanga capital of San Fernando, south of Angeles City.

But around Korea Town, Choi said Korean tourists would always have to mind their belongings.

Security remains a concern, he said, because three incidents of snatching are reported almost daily.

The Korean Desk at the police’s Criminal Investigation and Detection Group is on the lookout for these and other crimes, he said. Lazatin said additional security cameras will be installed to monitor activities in the area and ensure the safety of both Filipinos and Koreans.