South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol and Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr agreed on Monday to boost defence cooperation as their countries elevated ties to a strategic partnership amid growing security challenges in the region.
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“President Marcos and I opened a new chapter of our partnership by elevating our relationship to a strategic partnership,” said South Korea’s Yoon, who is on a state visit to Manila, the first by a South Korean leader in more than a decade.
In a joint press conference with Marcos Jnr, Yoon said his country would actively take part in the latest phase of the Philippines’ multibillion-dollar effort to modernise its military security at a time of rising tensions with China in the South China Sea.
The two leaders agreed to uphold an international rules-based order, including on safety of navigation in the South China Sea, Yoon said, adding they agreed the international community would never condone North Korea’s nuclear programme or what he called “reckless provocations”.
The pair also committed to deepening maritime cooperation and agreed to closer ties between their coastguards. Yoon said they will strengthen “tackling transnational crime, information sharing and conducting search and rescue missions.”
We shared a common understanding about the importance of peace, stability and safety in the South China Sea
“We shared a common understanding about the importance of peace, stability and safety in the South China Sea,” Yoon told reporters after the bilateral meeting.