PH, South Korea sign 10 agreements to deepen strategic partnership
Photo courtesy of PCO
The Philippines and South Korea signed 10 agreements aimed at strengthening cooperation across key sectors during the state visit of Lee Jae Myung to Manila.
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. welcomed the signing of several memoranda of understanding (MOUs), saying the agreements will sustain the momentum of the Philippines–Republic of Korea strategic partnership.
“And as we have just witnessed, we have concluded a number of agreements in the fields of defense materials procurement, veterans affairs, agriculture, trade, investment and economic cooperation, intellectual property, digital cooperation, digitalization and innovation, Korean language training in schools, cultural cooperation, and police cooperation,” Marcos said during a joint press conference.
The Philippines and the South Korea elevated their bilateral relations to a strategic partnership in 2024, paving the way for expanded collaboration in priority areas.
Among the agreements signed was a memorandum of understanding between the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) and South Korea’s Ministry of Science and ICT on digital cooperation.
Another agreement involves the Department of Economy Planning and Development and South Korea’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs on technology, digitalization, and innovation programs.
The Department of National Defense also signed agreements with South Korea’s Defense Acquisition Program Administration on defense materials procurement and with the Korean Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs for cooperation on veterans affairs.
In agriculture, the Department of Agriculture partnered with South Korea’s Ministry of Agriculture, Food, and Rural Affairs to strengthen cooperation in the sector.
Trade and economic collaboration were also expanded through agreements between the Department of Trade and Industry and South Korea’s Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, including cooperation in intellectual property.
Education and cultural exchanges were also covered through agreements between the Department of Education and South Korea’s Ministry of Education for Korean language programs in Philippine schools, and between the National Commission for Culture and the Arts and South Korea’s Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism.
Police cooperation was also strengthened through an agreement between the Philippine National Police and the Korean National Police Agency.
Marcos said the agreements reflect the shared commitment of both countries to deepen cooperation and advance mutual development under their strategic partnership.
