President Rodrigo Duterte will visit South Korea on June 3 to 5 in a bid to strengthen their ties, Malacañang said on Friday.
“The significance of this visit… basically has to do with conveying to the Republic of Korea the importance of its partnership with the Philippines and to reaffirm the strength of Philippine-Republic of Korea relations,” Foreign Affairs Undersecretary Ernesto Abella said in a pre-departure briefing.
He said Duterte will witness the signing of various agreements on transportation, science and technology and trade.
He said the Philippines was among the first nations in the world and the first among the Association of Southeast Asian Nations to establish diplomatic relations with South Korea.
“We actually celebrate the 70th anniversary of the Philippines-Korea relations this coming year 2019,” Abella said.
He said the Philippines and South Korea established diplomatic relations on March 3, 1949.
He said Duterte will participate in a summit meeting, a business forum, and a Philippine Food Festival.
Among the issues to be discussed by Duterte and Korean President Moon Jae In is the rehabilitation of Marawi City.
They will also discuss social cooperation or the protection of nationals of both countries.
Abella said about 1.6 million Korean tourists visited the Philippines and 450,000 Filipino tourists went to Korea in 2017.
Agricultural cooperation and the market access for Philippine exports, especially okra, avocado, and tropical fruits, will also be tackled during the summit meeting.
The two leaders will also talk about cooperation in environmental protection.
A joint press conference will be held after the meeting between the two leaders.
A loan agreement on the New Cebu International Container Port Project between the Philippines and the Export-Import Bank of Korea will also be signed.
Duterte will also meet with the Filipino community in South Korea.
An estimated 68,000 Filipinos are residing in South Korea, and they comprise workers who entered the country under the employment permit system, students, professionals, missionaries and the spouses of Korean nationals.
