Philippines, South Korea to strengthen ties for improved security, infrastructure cooperation

President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. met with his South Korean counterpart Yoon Suk-yeol on Saturday to talk about enhancing bilateral ties, particularly in the areas of security, infrastructure, energy, and people-to-people exchanges.
 
Both leaders agreed for the two countries to have a “stronger partnership” during a bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the 40th and 41st ASEAN Summits and Related Summits in Cambodia, according to the Office of the Press Secretary.
 
“I do believe that it is time that we start to work to elevate our bilateral relations to a strategic partnership. Our newly launched bilateral platforms on science and technology, fisheries, cooperation, and maritime cooperation, all contribute to the deepening of this engagement,” Marcos said.

He also backed South Korea's efforts for the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula and expressed concern over the continuous missile testing conducted by North Korea, the Office of the Press Secretary said.
 
Marcos also thanked South Korea for its solidarity initiative centered on maritime security that entails the infusion of significant funding into various regional cooperative projects.
 
Such initiatives include the Brunei Darussalam-Indonesia-Malaysia-Philippines East ASEAN Growth Area (BIMP-EAGA) Fund of South Korea, he said.
 
Established in 1994, BIMP-EAGA seeks to speed up the socioeconomic development of less-developed, marginalized, and geographically remote areas in those four Southeast Asian countries as part of a broader goal to narrow the development gaps, not only among ASEAN member states but also within them. 

The Philippines and South Korea established diplomatic relations in 1949. — VBL/KG, GMA Integrated News