South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol will meet President Marcos on Monday, Oct. 7.
Visiting South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol and President Marcos will hold their bilateral talks on Monday, Oct. 7, in Malacañan Palace as they mark 75 years of diplomatic ties between their two countries.
President Yoon will be accorded arrival honors at the Kalayaan Grounds inside Malacañan Palace before their bilateral meeting.
According to Malacañan, Yoon is expected to engage in talks that will strengthen cooperation between South Korea and the Philippines in various areas such as political, security, economy, development cooperation, culture, and people-to-people exchange.
Both sides would also exchange views on regional and international issues, and reaffirm the vibrant and dynamic relations between the two countries.
The two presidents are also expected to sign agreements before holding a joint press conference at the Palace.
President Yoon’s visit is his first to the Philippines as leader of South Korea, and the first by a Korean president in 13 years.
He arrived in Manila on Sunday, October 6.
READ MORE: South Korean president to visit PH next week
Seoul is Manila's ally in fighting for its sovereignty over the West Philippine Sea and in upholding the international rules-based order in the Indo-Pacific.
The Korean government has issued its position on the West Philippine Sea at least 10 times since 2023 to reiterate the importance of upholding freedom of navigation and overflight, as well as rules-based order in accordance with international law.
The Philippines is also the only Association of Southeast Asian Nation (ASEAN) country that Korea holds bilateral maritime dialogue with on a regular basis.
President Yoon is on a three-nation Southeast Asia trip that includes state visits to the Philippines and Singapore and then a trip to Laos for an annual summit led by the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).
On the first leg of the six-day trip, Yoon will arrive in the Philippines on Sunday.
On Tuesday, Yoon begins a two-day state visit to Singapore, where he will hold bilateral talks with Prime Minister Lawrence Wong to deepen economic ties in areas of artificial intelligence, digital, defense and supply chains.
In Singapore, he plans to deliver a speech on South Korea's unification vision on Wednesday.
On Thursday, Yoon will attend the ASEAN summit, during which Korea will elevate its relations with the 10-nation regional bloc to a comprehensive strategic partnership, and participate in the ASEAN Plus Three summit involving South Korea, Japan and China. (With The Korea Times)