Philippines and Korea: partnership based on peace, prosperity

By Enrique A. Manalo

The Philippines and the Republic of Korea share a time-tested friendship anchored in a typical want for lasting peace and prosperity and an extended custom of productive partnerships. The Philippines answered the decision to help the United Nations Command within the Korean Battle — the primary Asian nation to take action. Over 7,000 Filipino troopers served with the Philippine Expeditionary Forces to Korea. Even within the nascence of our formal diplomatic ties, the Philippines and the Republic of Korea stood shoulder-to-shoulder within the identify of freedom. We’re immensely pleased with this legacy.

After 75 years, our nations stay staunch companions for peace and champions of a rules-based worldwide order. As democratic societies, we consider this rules-based order is the linchpin for peace, stability and prosperity in our area and past. Historical past has proven again and again that the disregard for worldwide legislation has solely resulted in tensions and battle amongst nations. It’s, subsequently, incumbent upon like-minded nations, such because the Philippines and the Republic of Korea, to proceed advocating for the primacy of the rule of legislation and the strengthening of the multilateral structure that it underpins.

As seafaring nations, the Philippines and the Republic of Korea are aware of the intrinsic hyperlink between peace within the oceans and the total realization of a secure and affluent future for our peoples. As such, our nations have a substantial stake in making certain the primacy of the United Nations Conference on the Regulation of the Sea (UNCLOS) in managing our maritime house, particularly within the difficult waters of the South China Sea. As a waterway essential to each the livelihood of Filipinos in addition to to worldwide navigation and commerce, ocean governance within the South China Sea needs to be firmly anchored on UNCLOS and the 2016 Arbitral Award.

As shut neighbors, the Philippines intently displays the scenario on the Korean Peninsula. We consider that the trail towards peace requires the whole, verifiable and irreversible denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula and Pyongyang’s full compliance with related U.N. Safety Council resolutions and its obligations beneath the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and the Worldwide Atomic Vitality Company Safeguards Settlement.

Amid these geopolitical challenges, it’s heartening that the Philippines and the Republic of Korea have typically moved in lockstep in efforts to strengthen the rules-based order — a matter well-articulated within the Republic of Korea’s personal Indo-Pacific Technique. This convergence of positions can be mirrored in our nations’ respective statements reaffirming the significance of adherence to the rule of legislation, particularly, the U.N. Constitution and UNCLOS and our agency perception within the energy of diplomacy and the peaceable settlement of disputes.

Our bilateral cooperation has additionally grown by leaps and bounds over the past 75 years. The Republic of Korea was the Philippines’ fifth-top buying and selling associate and sixth-largest supply of accepted investments in 2023. Each our nations are decided to additional deepen these financial ties by such preparations because the ASEAN-Korea Free Commerce Settlement and the Regional Complete Financial Partnership. As soon as it enters into drive, the Philippines-Korea Free Commerce Settlement will considerably increase the open and free motion of products and companies, in addition to information and know-how change.

We additionally acknowledge the unwavering help of the Republic of Korea as our sixth-top supply of official growth help. We look ahead to working collectively on growth cooperation tasks in precedence progress areas, together with infrastructure, transportation, water administration, local weather change and atmosphere, meals safety and ICT. The Republic of Korea has additionally performed a key function within the modernization of the Philippine armed forces and in efforts to enhance its functionality to reply to the challenges of our dynamic safety atmosphere.

Our sturdy people-to-people exchanges have sustained our ties for the previous seven and a half a long time. Bilateral tourism is quickly recovering, with the variety of Korean vacationers touring to the Philippines in 2023 intently reaching pre-pandemic figures. Extra Filipino vacationers are additionally exploring the sights, sounds and culinary delights of the Land of the Morning Calm, due to the Republic of Korea’s efforts to simplify the visa course of for Filipinos.

Much more than this, Filipino and Korean expatriate communities have enhanced the social, financial and cultural cloth of our respective nations and contribute to fostering larger understanding between our peoples. Korean cultural exports — whether or not music, movie or meals — have been enthusiastically embraced by Filipinos and permeate our trendy widespread tradition. Korea’s phenomenal success in harnessing its inventive industries is one thing that the Philippines seeks to emulate as a method to unlock new drivers of financial progress whereas selling Philippine tradition and the humanities abroad.

As we chart our course for the following 75 years and past, I’m assured that the ties that bind the Philippines and the Republic of Korea will develop from energy to energy — anchored on our shared historical past, guided by our frequent aspirations and powered by our agency perception within the significance of sustaining a rules-based worldwide order. I’m additionally assured that the sturdy partnership between the Philippines and the Republic of Korea will proceed to function our ballast, making certain our regular and protected passage by the challenges of our regional and international environments as we try to construct the peaceable and affluent future we would like for our peoples.

Enrique A. Manalo is the Philippine minister of international affairs.