South Korea and the Philippines have signed a joint declaration to establish a strategic partnership and enhance cooperation in various areas, including security and defense. The declaration was made during a meeting between Filipino President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, who recently visited the Philippines. The two leaders discussed global and regional issues, such as the situation in the South China Sea and on the Korean Peninsula.
During their meeting, Marcos emphasized the importance of strengthening cooperation between their countries in response to an increasingly complex geopolitical and economic environment. He highlighted that their decades-long cordial relations have evolved into a comprehensive partnership across multiple fields.
The two countries agreed to enhance maritime cooperation and maintain close engagement between their military and defense organizations to bolster readiness against security threats. South Korea also pledged assistance in modernizing the Philippine armed forces.
Both nations committed to conducting mutually beneficial security engagements, including bilateral military exercises, education, and training. They condemned North Korea’s recent surge in ballistic missile launches and called on Pyongyang to comply with UN Security Council resolutions.
The joint declaration also expressed opposition to militarization activities in the South China Sea, such as coercive actions by coast guard vessels or maritime militias. Several memorandum of understanding agreements were signed during this meeting, including one focused on expanding cooperation between their coast guards.
President Yoon stressed that both countries share a common understanding about upholding peace and stability in the South China Sea as a critical sea lane of communications in the Indo-Pacific region. He stated that they will continue working together to establish a rules-based maritime order based on international law principles.
It is worth noting that both the Philippines and South Korea are treaty allies of the United States through mutual defense agreements. This means that if either country is under attack, they can rely on U.S. support for defense.
China has territorial claims over most of the South China Sea which overlap with exclusive economic zones of other nations like Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei Taiwan,andthePhilippines.AninternationaltribunalinTheHagueruledinfavorofthePhilippinesin2016,statingthatBeijing’ssovereigntyclaimshavenolegalbasis.However,theChinese regime has continued its aggressive behavior by repeatedly intruding into Philippine maritime zones.