President Yoon Suk Yeol (right) waves hands before boarding Air Force One with first lady Kim Keon Hee at Seoul Air Base in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province, Sunday (Oct 6). - Photo: Yonhap
SEOUL: President Yoon Suk Yeol on Sunday (Oct 6) embarked on a state visit to the Philippines, as part of a weeklong trip to three Southeast Asian countries on the occasion of the Asean summit later this week.
Yoon is the first South Korean leader to go on a state visit to the Philippines in 13 years, after the former conservative president Lee Myung-bak.
Upon arrival at Manila, the Philippine capital, Yoon, the 63-year-old conservative President, is poised to attend a flower-laying ceremony in memory of Filipino soldiers who perished during the 1950-53 Korean War, among some 7,420 soldiers who fought for South Korea.
Yoon will also meet overseas Koreans in the Philippines later in the day.
Yoon is set to sit down for talks with Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. at the Malacanang presidential palace in Manila on Monday.
Marcos' wife, Louise Araneta-Marcos, will also receive Yoon's wife Kim Keon Hee.
According to Yoon's office in Seoul, Yoon and Marcos will hold a document signing ceremony and a joint press conference, followed by a state lunch hosted by Marcos, son and namesake of the Southeast Asian country's former leader.
Yoon will also attend a business forum jointly hosted by business circles of the two countries before leaving Manila on the same day.
Seoul envisions strengthening ties with Manila, especially in terms of security and economy.
On the security front, Seoul and Manila may discuss defense cooperation, amid tensions between the Philippines and China over the disputed islands in the South China Sea.
"The Philippines has a strong demand to enhance its maritime security, and has a significant interest in defense cooperation with South Korea," an official of the presidential office said on condition of anonymity.
South Korea's potential security support will be in line with Seoul's stance on international diplomacy that it would not tolerate any unilateral change in the status quo by force, the source said.
Kim Tae-hyo, first deputy director of the presidential National Security Office, said in a briefing Thursday that the mineral-rich Southeast Asian country with an abundant young population has room for partnership with South Korea's technology powerhouse.
According to Yoon's office, the Philippines is ranked second by nickel production output, and sixth by cobalt yield, as of 2023. The country also achieved an annual gross domestic product growth of 5.6 percent in 2023, becoming the fastest-growing economy in Southeast Asia.
Kim described the Philippines as a "mutually complementary partner for cooperation" with South Korea.
Seoul also touted South Korean firms as a decent partner for the Philippines' infrastructure projects, in line with the Build Better More infrastructure development program, a six-year initiative by the Marcos administration.
The presidential office "will provide active support for South Korean firms to win new projects" as the two countries are to discuss ways for mega transportation infrastructure projects deemed crucial for the Philippines' economic growth, Park Chun-sup, senior presidential secretary for economic affairs, said in a briefing Thursday.
Park added the two countries will also seek cooperation in agriculture and nuclear energy, among others.
The South Korean delegation may also discuss ways to facilitate the ratification process concerning the free trade agreement between the two countries.
South Korea and the Philippines signed a free trade agreement in 2023, but the parliament in South Korea has yet to ratify the pact, due in part to the new parliament assembled following a general election in April.
Manila's lawmakers at the Senate ratified the document in September.
According to Yoon's office, the president will head to Singapore for a state visit after his Manila tour.
Yoon will then fly to Laos to attend the Asean summit on Wednesday and return home on Friday. - The Korea Herald/ANN
