Malacañan Palace
October 7, 2024

President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. held a bilateral meeting with President Yoon Suk Yeol of the Republic of Korea at the State Dining Room in Malacañan Palace.

Both leaders, having been elected in 2022, are working together to further strengthen ties between their two nations.

In his statement, President Marcos Jr. expressed gratitude to the South Korean Leader for accepting his invitation to visit the Philippines, stating that his trip to the country is a fitting activity as the two nations mark an important milestone of celebrating 75 years of diplomatic relations this year.

He underscored that the friendship began when the Philippines became the first Asian country to send aid to South Korea during the Korean War in the 1950s. Today, the two nations have a robust partnership in a myriad of fields of cooperation, including defense and security, maritime cooperation, trade, development, and people-to-people exchanges.

“From here, there is nowhere else to go but up,” the Chief Executive said, announcing that the time has come to elevate the two nations’ ties to a Strategic Relationship.

“As the geopolitical environment is only becoming more complex, we must work together to achieve prosperity for our peoples and to promote a rules-based order governed by international law, including the 1982 UNCLOS and the binding 2016 Arbitral Award,” he added.

“I look forward that your visit will bring a very meaningful meeting between our two countries not only on the political level but on the levels of the other sectors such as trade and defense and security and whatever else you and I will be able to identify as areas that we should explore,” President Marcos Jr. ended in his remarks.

In response, President Yoon expressed gratitude for the warm welcome accorded to him and his delegation. He underscored that the Philippines was the first Southeast Asian nation to establish diplomatic relations with South Korea, as well as the country that sent the largest contingent of troops among Asian nations during the Korean War.

“Based on the special bond forged in blood, our two countries have closely cooperated over the past 75 years… I hope that my state visit will serve as an opportunity to not only further enhance our trade and economic cooperation, but also widen the scope of our partnership to include future-oriented sectors such as security, digital technology and energy. So Mr. President, I look forward to a fruitful discussion on ways to take great strides in our bilateral cooperations today,” President Yoon concluded in his message.

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