Grand Hyatt Hotel, Seoul
18 October 2013

President Benigno S. Aquino III met with officials of the Hanjin Heavy Industries and Construction Company, Ltd. of Korea led by its chairman Mr. Nam-ho Cho as part of his two-day state visit in South Korea.

In their meeting, President Aquino thanked Hanjin for being an active participant in the Philippine economy and he urged in jest to increase its shipbuilding activity so that the country may regain its standing of being the fourth largest shipbuilder in the world as it have slipped now into being only the fifth largest.

Mr. Nam-Ho-Cho told the President that Hanjin will expand its shipbuilding activities in Subic and make the Subic shipbuilding yard a hub for large-scale vessel construction like very large cargo carriers (VLCCs) that will primarily be used for shipping oil and petroleum products.

Executive Vice President and former Hanjin President Jeong-Sup Shim told the President to not consider Hanjin as a ‘foreign company’ for they are a Filipino-oriented organization and have great affection for the Filipino people. He pointed out that Hanjin began operating in the Philippines 40 years ago by constructing the Iligan-Cagayan de Oro Highway, a major arterial road in northern Mindanao.

President Aquino also pointed out that TESDA is producing many graduates that can meet Hanjin’s expansion needs. For its part, Hanjin said that it has put up a skills development center that has upgraded the skills of more than 40,000 workers.

Aside from its shipbuilding concerns, the HHIC Group is involved in LPG distribution, tourism, design and construction management. HHIC-Phils. Inc. currently employs (as of Sep 2013) a total of 17,673 Filipino workers.

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