President Lee: "Valuable Partners to Navigate an Era of Upheaval" at Korea-Philippines Summit

President Lee Jae-myung and Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos are shaking hands ahead of a summit at Malaca?ang Palace in Manila, Philippines, on the 3rd. Photo by Yonhap News Agency

On March 3, President Lee Jaemyung stated during a summit meeting with Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. that "the two countries will become valuable partners who will steadfastly navigate this era of upheaval marked by geopolitical uncertainty and global technological competition."

President Lee made these remarks during his opening statement at the Korea-Philippines summit held at Malaca?ang Palace in Manila on the first day of his state visit to the Philippines. He said, "Although the physical distance between our two countries is close, the emotional bond between our peoples is much closer."

President Lee noted, "Last year, the number of people-to-people exchanges between our two countries reached 2 million. I heard that among all foreign visitors to the Philippines last year, Koreans ranked first. Korea's affection for the Philippines is well known." He added, "Given these deep historical ties and strong friendship, the future of our bilateral cooperation is very bright."

President Lee also emphasized, "Since establishing diplomatic relations in 1949, our two countries have developed cooperative ties in various fields such as trade, investment, defense industry, infrastructure, and development cooperation. Now, based on the partnership built over the past 77 years, we stand on the threshold of expanding the horizon of our cooperation even further."

Furthermore, President Lee said, "The peoples of our two countries should meet more frequently to maximize the potential for cooperation. I hope that our governments will strengthen institutional support so that our citizens can interact more actively and stay more safely in each other's countries in the future."

He also recalled that during the Korean War, the Philippines was the first and largest Asian country to dispatch troops. President Lee stated, "During the Korean War, the Philippines was the first among Asian nations to send its young soldiers to fight and shed blood to help defend Korea. I would like to express my respect and gratitude to the Filipino veterans who fought alongside us for the freedom and peace of the Republic of Korea."

President Marcos responded, "I am well aware that the relationship between our two countries originated from sacrifice, but now it is moving toward the values of freedom, peace, and prosperity. We are now progressing toward an even broader strategic partnership."

He also said, "The Philippines values Korean culture very highly. Cultural exchanges based on shared values, such as K-pop and K-dramas, are underway. The people of the Philippines have a great deal of gratitude and affection for the people of Korea."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.