Manila: President Lee Jae Myung arrived in Manila on Tuesday to hold summit talks with Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to discuss bilateral ties, following his visit to Singapore.
According to Yonhap News Agency, Lee will first visit the Jose Rizal Monument to honor Rizal, the national hero of the Philippines, before holding talks with Marcos. This will be followed by a signing ceremony for memorandums of understanding and a joint press announcement. This summit marks Lee's second meeting with Marcos, following their initial encounter on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in late October.
The two leaders are set to explore ways to deepen cooperation in various sectors, including the defense industry, infrastructure, and trade. In addition, they plan to discuss promising sectors such as nuclear power, shipbuilding, critical minerals, and artificial intelligence, as stated by presidential spokesperson Kang Yu-jung. The timing of the summit is significant as it coincides with the anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two countries, which were established on March 3, 1949.
The Philippines was the first Southeast Asian nation with which South Korea established diplomatic relations and was also the first Asian country to dispatch troops to the Korean War from 1950 to 1953. On Wednesday, Lee is scheduled to attend a business forum involving business leaders from both countries and meet with Korean residents in the Philippines before returning home.
South Korea stands as one of the Philippines' major economic partners, with a bilateral free trade deal set to take effect in 2024. Cheong Wa Dae expressed hope that Lee's two-nation trip will enhance coordination with key members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) on the international stage and foster deeper ties with the regional bloc.
Prior to arriving in Manila, Lee held summit talks in Singapore with Prime Minister Lawrence Wong to discuss ways to forge closer economic ties and attended the AI Connect Summit to discuss artificial intelligence cooperation between the two Asian tech powerhouses.