Duterte congratulates new South Korean president

New South Korean Presidential Moon Jae-in waves his supporters. AFP

President Rodrigo Duterte on Wednesday congratulated the newly-elected president of the Republic of Korea.

“On behalf of the Filipino nation, President Rodrigo Roa Duterte wishes to extend his warm congratulations to Mr. Moon Jae-in on his election as the new President of the Republic of Korea (ROK),” Presidential Spokesperson Ernesto Abella said in a statement.

READ: Exit poll: Landslide win for Moon in South Korea election

Moon, a human rights lawyer, won the elections after former President Park Geun-hye was impeached and jailed over corruption allegations.

Abella said the government would continue to strengthen its ties with South Korea after Moon’s win.

“The Philippines and the Republic of Korea have strong, comprehensive and long-standing bilateral ties,” he said.

The Palace official said the Philippines and the Republic of Korea “have extensive cooperation on political, economic, cultural and people-to-people exchanges in the bilateral, regional, and multilateral spheres.”

“The Philippines is committed to further enhancing the relations with the ROK under President-elect Moon,” he said. “We wish him all the best. CBB