By Oliver Geronilla

South Korea has indeed invaded the Philippines ― not with warfare but with unmistakable red-hot fanfare. Almost everywhere you go in the metropolis, you can see a hint and flavor of Korea.

From the restaurants and Korean-owned English-language schools and other establishments that can be found in most of the key cities of the archipelago, to the many imported secondhand Korean cars plying the busy streets, down to the songs that dominate the airwaves and the soap operas that have eaten a significant slice of the cake, you can almost feel that you are not just having a mirage of this new form of invasion, but a real barrage of socio-cultural pull that's hard to resist, more so stop.

And I ask: Is this bad?

Well, with the dollars that the Koreans are bringing to the country, definitely, it isn't. According to the Bureau of Immigration, the number of Koreans who visit the country has steadily increased. During these visits, they spend their hard-earned money for some R and R. You'll see many of them flocking to the beautiful beaches of Boracay, Palawan and Mindoro.

And this is where their enterprising ideas are born. While vacationing, they realize the opportunity to put up businesses to cater to the needs of their fellowmen who always want to remain ``Korean" in almost all ways imaginable. Visit a Korean household and you'll see a whole bunch of Korean-made products. Wherever they get these does not matter. What is clear is that the Philippine government benefits from them through taxes.

What makes their presence in the Philippines quite interesting is their ability to guard themselves from imbibing the local culture. They have this shield that is hard to penetrate. However, most of them do not mind directly or indirectly ``sharing" their ways of life with the Filipinos around them. In fact, Korean words and expressions have already become part of the language fad.

Don't be surprised when you hear them greet you ``annyeonghaseyo" or when they ask the local grocery if they sell ``kimchi." Not only that, much to my surprise, a great number of Filipinos now understand when Koreans suddenly exclaim their linguistic trademark ``ppali ppali" (chop chop in English).

They have also introduced Korean TV dramas featuring predictable formulaic plots that make one forget the daily grind. Big Bang and other singing groups are pulsing through the speakers, and the young generation goes gaga over them. Welcome to Korea's new frontier! That's culture. What you see and hear now might be history tomorrow. But of course the effects are there to linger.

So, I ask again: Is this bad?

Cultural pluralism isn't. As long as Filipinos and Koreans coexist harmoniously, I don't see any reason to be up in arms. My only request: be a good guest. Nowhere in the world can you see as highly hospitable and marvelously tolerant people as the Filipinos.

Oliver Geronilla, a contributor to an article in the Philippine Daily Inquirer with former U.S. Assistant Secretary of State W. Scott Thompson, is the head teacher of Han Maum Academy, Philippines. He has been teaching ESL since 2000, and can be reached at oliger95@yahoo.com.