Philippines, South Korea boost ties amid threats on their respective borders

The presidents of the Philippines and South Korea agreed on Monday to elevate bilateral defense and economic ties to a so-called “strategic partnership,” as the two longtime Asian allies contend with security threats along their borders.  

Philippine leader Ferdinand Marcos Jr. was hosting his South Korean counterpart, Yoon Suk Yeol, the first leader from the Republic of Korea to visit Manila in more than 10 years. 

The two presidents signed a series of memorandums including on boosting cooperation between their nations’ coast guards and possibly reviving the Philippines’ mothballed nuclear power plant, among other activities. 

Yoon was in Manila for an overnight state visit before heading to Laos to attend a summit with Southeast Asian leaders later in the week. 

“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 at a news conference after their meeting.

Officials did not give specific details about what a strategic partnership would look like, but the Philippine foreign office described it in broad terms.

Such a partnership will “build upon and further deepen political engagements between the two governments through various mechanisms, high-level visits, regular dialogues across many areas of mutual interest, and exchanges at all levels and channels,” it said in a statement.  

Marcos put the newly upgraded partnership into the context of geopolitics in Asia.  

“As the geopolitical environment is only becoming more complex, we must work together to achieve prosperity for our peoples and to promote a rules-based order governed by international law, including the 1982 UNCLOS and the binding 2016 Arbitral Award,” Marcos stressed.

He was referring to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), an international treaty that provides a comprehensive legal framework for all activities and uses of the world’s seas and oceans. 

In 2016, the Philippines won an international arbitration ruling against China that rejected the legal basis for nearly all of Beijing’s expansive maritime and territorial claims in the South China Sea. 

Marcos did not specifically name China in his remarks on Monday, although Beijing is a common denominator in security challenges facing both the Philippines and South Korea. 

In the South China Sea, tensions are high between Manila and Beijing in waters within the Philippine exclusive economic zone. Meanwhile on the Korean Peninsula, Seoul faces a decades-old threat from Beijing-backed Pyongyang.

Marcos said both Seoul and Manila had also agreed to boost security cooperation amid tensions on the peninsula.

“I welcome the Republic of Korea’s efforts to promote peace and stability in the Korean Peninsula,” Marcos said, noting the “audacious initiative” and a “unification doctrine” announced by Yoon in August to boost the economy “are important in this regard.”

President Yoon, for his part, talked about a “special bond forged in blood” between the Republic of Korea and the Philippines.

“[O]ur two countries have closely cooperated over the past 75 years, and today, we are elevating our relationship to a strategic partnership, which will bring our cooperation to a higher level,” Yoon said.

In 1949, the Philippines was the first Southeast Asian country to establish diplomatic relations with South Korea. 

During the Korean War (1950-53), the Philippines deployed troops as part of an international coalition fighting against North Korea and China.

The two countries currently have more than 62 bilateral deals in fields ranging from energy, defense and information to social security and tourism. 

RELATED STORIES

Troubled Waters: The South China Sea

Philippines Signs $554M Deal for 2 South Korean-Made Warships

Philippines to North Korea: Put an End to Provocative Actions

Both leaders also committed to reviewing the possible rehabilitation of the Southeast Asian country’s mothballed nuclear plant, as part of Manila’s energy security measures.

Completed in 1984 during the rule of Marcos’ father, the plant, built by the U.S. firm Westinghouse Electric, was never activated because of safety concerns and corruption allegations.

According to geopolitical analyst Don McLain Gill, China was expected to react negatively to this latest development between the Philippines and South Korea. The two Asian countries are firm allies of the United States, China’s superpower rival.

“But China also knows that South Korea will try to manage its relationship with Beijing. Our relationship with China is not one that is all-out competition. We are still with China in different aspects,” Gill, a lecturer in international studies at De La Salle University in Manila, told BenarNews.

“However, when it comes to our sovereignty, that is a different story .… We are trying to manage our relationship but if we think the soul of sovereignty is being compromised, we will try our best to do what we can to address it. That also means working with partners,” he said.

BenarNews is an RFA-affiliated online news organization.

Jeoffrey Maitem in Davao City, southern Philippines contributed to this report.