Manila: President Lee Jae Myung departed for Manila to hold summit talks with Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., wrapping up his three-day state visit to Singapore. It will mark Lee's second summit with Marcos following their first meeting on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in late October.

According to Yonhap News Agency, the two leaders are expected to explore ways to deepen cooperation in the defense industry, infrastructure, and trade, as well as in promising sectors including nuclear power, shipbuilding, critical minerals, and artificial intelligence, as stated by presidential spokesperson Kang Yu-jung. Upon arrival in Manila, Lee will visit the Jose Rizal Monument to honor Rizal, the national hero of the Philippines, and hold talks with Marcos, followed by a signing ceremony for memorandums of understanding and a joint press announcement.

The summit coincides with the anniversary of diplomatic relations, as the two countries forged diplomatic ties on March 3, 1949. The Philippines was the first Southeast Asian nation with which South Korea established diplomatic relations and the first Asian country to dispatch troops to the 1950-53 Korean War. 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 flying back home.

South Korea is one of the Philippines' major economic partners, with the bilateral free trade deal taking effect in 2024. Cheong Wa Dae expressed hope that Lee's two-nation trip will promote coordination with key members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) on the international stage and help pave the way for deeper ties with the regional bloc.

In Singapore, Lee held summit talks with Singaporean 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.