Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol agreed to elevate bilateral ties to a strategic partnership on Monday, including closer maritime cooperation amid growing security challenges in the Asia-Pacific region.
Yoon was on a visit to the Philippines, marking the first such trip by a South Korean president since 2011, as the two nations celebrated their 75-year diplomatic relations this year.
The two leaders discussed a range of issues during their bilateral meeting in Manila, including tensions in the disputed South China Sea and the Korean peninsula, and later signed new cooperation agreements that also covered security, the economy and nuclear energy.
“Today, I am pleased to announce that the Philippines and the Republic of Korea have formally elevated our relations to a Strategic Partnership, adding further impetus to the strengthening and deepening of our cooperation in an increasingly complex geopolitical and economic environment,” Marcos said during a joint press conference.
The Philippines and South Korea also signed a preliminary agreement on maritime cooperation between their coast guards to promote, preserve and protect “maritime order and safety in the Asia-Pacific region,” he said.
Under a joint declaration on their strategic partnership, both countries expressed concern about actions in the South China Sea that “are inconsistent with the rules-based international order,” and said they “oppose militarization of reclaimed features, the dangerous use of coast guard and maritime militia vessels, and coercive activities.”
Philippine and Chinese coast guard vessels have repeatedly clashed in the strategic, resource-rich waterway that Beijing claims almost in its entirety, which has been dismissed by an international tribunal ruling in 2016.
Seoul has recently grown more vocal in speaking out on tensions in the disputed waters, including in March, when it expressed “grave concern” over China’s “repeated use of water cannons against the Philippine vessels” in the area.
South Korea will also actively take part in the Philippines’ ongoing military modernization efforts, Yoon said at the joint press conference, as his country has been working to ramp up global defense exports to become the world’s fourth-largest arms exporter by 2027.
The Philippines has so far bought FA-50 fighter jets, corvettes and frigates from South Korea, as Manila is looking to buy advanced assets, such as fighter jets, submarines and missile systems, to scale up territorial defense and maritime security.
Prof. Renato De Castro, an international studies expert and professor at Manila-based De La Salle University, said South Korea was “very important in enabling the Philippines to acquire weapon systems” required to implement Manila’s new Comprehensive Archipelagic Defense Concept.
He is referring to a strategic doctrine that was launched earlier this year in March to boost protection and security in the Philippine part of the South China Sea.
“South Korea is there to assist us in terms, of course, providing us the necessary naval platforms like the frigate, and, more importantly, probably supporting our shipbuilding industry so that we could be in a position to build ships that might be used by the Philippine Navy and the Philippines Coast Guard,” De Castro said.
Marcos and Yoon also signed an agreement to conduct a feasibility study on Philippines’ Bataan Nuclear Power Plant, as Manila seeks to tap nuclear power as a viable alternative to generate energy amid efforts to retire coal plants, boost energy security and meet its climate goals.
Under Yoon, who became president in 2022, South Korea has been ramping up nuclear energy production. The East Asian nation has exported its technology widely and was involved in the development of UAE’s first nuclear plant Barakah, which began its full commercial operation last month.
“We need it, we need renewable energy. We have started to decarbonize renewable energy. And the best option, of course, is nuclear energy. It’s high time,” De Castro said.