Bilateral Meeting with Republic of Korea (ROK) President Moon Jae-in 11/25/2019

The Westin Chosun Busan Hotel, Busan, South Korea
November 25, 2019


President Rodrigo Roa Duterte, together with some of his Cabinet Secretaries and government officials, convened with Republic of Korea (ROK) President Moon Jae-in and the members of his delegation in a bilateral meeting at The Westin Chosun Busan Hotel in South Korea.

In his opening remarks, President Duterte deemed 2019 an auspicious year as the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and ROK celebrate 30 years of dialogue partnership, coinciding with the celebration of 70 years of meaningful bilateral relations between the Philippines and South Korea.

“In the meantime, our economies took diverging paths and fortunes. The Republic of Korea rose to become one of Asia’s economic and technological powerhouses. Ours faltered, but with perseverance, the Philippines has since recovered and is now [a] well-performing, emerging economy,” the Chief Executive said.

President Duterte added that solidarity and mutual aide have been the hallmark of ties between the Philippines and South Korea since 1950. He also thanked the Korean government for donating US$100,000 for the earthquake victims in Mindanao last month.

“I assure you that the Philippines will continue to find common cause and purpose with the Republic of Korea towards enhancing our bilateral engagement and promoting peace and stability in your region,” he vowed before the South Korean President and his delegation.

Meanwhile, South Korean President Moon Jae-in expressed his gratitude to the Philippines at it was the first among the ASEAN countries to establish diplomatic relations with South Korea, and the first to send troops to fight on their side during the Korean War.

“Based on our history of friendship and trust, the time is right for our two countries to think about elevating our relations to a strategic partnership. The elevation of our relations will pave the way for our two countries to engage in greater cooperation that will lead us to common prosperity,” he said.

The South Korean leader also regarded the Philippines as the future of ASEAN as it continually achieves a commendable growth rate of six percent (6%) each year which he attributed to the leadership of President Duterte.

“Through our meeting today, I hope to strengthen my friendship with you and expand our bilateral cooperation to contribute further to the development of ASEAN,” President Moon Jae-in concluded.


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