Source: Government of the Republic of Korea
(unofficial translation)
On behalf of the people of the Republic of Korean, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to President Marcos and the people of the Philippines for the invitation and warm welcome extended to me and my delegation.
It is a great pleasure to meet President Marcos again here in Manila, just four months after our first meeting in Gyeongju last October.
It is all the more meaningful to visit the Philippines today – our long-standing friend and key ally – as we commemorate the 77th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between our two countries.
The Philippines was the first ASEAN member state with which Korea established diplomatic ties and the first Asian nation that sent troops to fight alongside us during the Korean War – a nation to which we remain deeply grateful. Over the past 77 years, our bilateral relationship has been steadily built up on a foundation of historical solidarity, enduring friendship and vibrant substantive cooperation.
At today’s summit, President Marcos and I agreed, based on our Strategic Partnership, to further deepen our substantive cooperation in areas of trade, infrastructure and the defense industry. We also agreed to expand our cooperation into new strategic sectors for growth, including shipbuilding, nuclear power and artificial intelligence.
We discussed avenues for cooperation on responding to rapidly evolving economic and security environments and achieving shared prosperity. Now, allow me to outline the key outcomes of today’s summit.
First, we agreed to further expand bilateral trade and investment on the basis of the Korea–Philippines Free Trade Agreement, and significantly reduce the difficulties faced by companies.
Since the Korea–Philippines FTA entered into force in 2024, Korea’s investment in the Philippines has increased more than fivefold, with bilateral trade and investment continuing to grow steadily.
The Memoranda of Understanding on intellectual property rights and on the agricultural sector, concluded today, are expected to facilitate businesses’ entry into their respective fields, stimulate regional trade and investment, and boost the FTA’s efficacy.
In step with these efforts, President Marcos mentioned that he will make proactive efforts to support Korean firms entering the Philippine market and alleviate the difficulties they face. I would like to take this opportunity to once again express my appreciation.
Second, our two countries concurred on the need to further strengthen cooperation in strategic industrial sectors, including infrastructure and the defense industry.
I conveyed to President Marcos Korea’s support for the infrastructure initiatives he has prioritized and affirmed our commitment to partnering closely on these efforts. President Marcos, in turn, warmly welcomed Korea’s participation.
Furthermore, on the basis of the Implementation Agreement for the Defense Industry Procurement, we will lend our support to Korean defense industry firms to actively participate in projects involving the modernization of the Armed Forces of the Philippines.
Third, our two countries agreed to further expand bilateral cooperation in emerging growth sectors, including shipbuilding, nuclear power, supply chains, artificial intelligence and digital technologies.
As Korea and the Philippines stand as shipbuilding powerhouses – ranking second and fourth globally in terms of shipbuilding volume, respectively – the shipbuilding industry holds significant potential for bilateral cooperation. By expanding our cooperation in this sector, we can expect to enhance the competitiveness of our industries and generate synergies.
We also agreed to strengthen substantive cooperation in the field of nuclear power. Building on the outcomes of the Feasibility Study for the Bataan Nuclear Power Plant Resumption and the MOU for Cooperation on New Nuclear Power Projects, we will become optimal partners for nuclear power cooperation.
Korea’s advanced technologies and the Philippines’ rich reserves of critical minerals make our two countries ideal partners in the critical mineral sector. Building on the MOU for Cooperation in Critical Minerals, adopted during this visit, we agreed to further expand substantive cooperation on critical minerals and supply chains.
Furthermore, building on MOU on Digital Cooperation, we have broadened our science and technology partnership to include such areas as artificial intelligence and next-generation communications infrastructure. This expansion is expected to serve as a steadfast cornerstone in accelerating the Philippines’ digital transformation and realizing Korea’s vision of becoming one of the world’s top three AI powers.
Fourth, on the occasion of my State Visit, we look forward to increasing people-to-people exchanges and deepening friendships.
Last year, 1.35 million Koreans traveled to the Philippines, claiming the largest share among foreign visitors. The same year, 610,000 Filipinos visited Korea, the highest number among ASEAN member states.
President Marcos and I shared the view that vibrant bilateral cultural and people-to-people exchanges serve as invaluable bridges between our two countries. We also agreed to further promote Korean language education and people-to-people exchanges by adopting MOU on Korean language and cultural cooperation.
President Marcos assured me that the Philippine government will provide its utmost effort to protect the lives and safety of Koreans visiting or residing in the Philippines. I also expressed my commitment to continue paying close attention to the safety of Filipino workers in Korea and the settlement of multicultural families.
I would like to express my gratitude once again to the Philippine government for its efforts to protect Korean nationals, for instance, by establishing a Korean help desk at a Philippine National Police station. As for the MOU for Police Cooperation, I believe that it will help law enforcement authorities in both our countries cooperate more extensively in their efforts to respond to and eradicate transnational crimes.
Finally, as long-standing friends and strategic partners, our two countries agreed to continue cooperating on bringing peace and stability to the region.
Korea will actively support the Philippines during its tenure as 2026 ASEAN Chair. We two leaders agreed to strive to create synergy by linking this year’s Chair priorities of Peace and Security Anchors, Corridor of Prosperity (Economic Integration) and People Empowerment (Capacity Building) with the Korea–ASEAN Comprehensive Strategic Partnership (CSP) vision of Facilitator of Dreams and Hope, Springboard for Growth and Innovation, and Partner for Peace and Stability.
In addition, during today’s meeting, President Marcos and I discussed the regional situation as well as recent developments in the Middle East. We expressed our hope that peace and stability in the Middle East will be restored promptly.
Furthermore, I would like to express my gratitude to President Marcos for actively supporting our government’s efforts to secure peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula through the resumption of dialogue.
I hope that today’s meeting will help deepen our friendship and bilateral cooperation and guide our two countries forward as key future partners.
Thank you – maraming salamat po!