S. Korean president to arrive in Manila for 3-day state visit

MANILA, Philippines—Republic of Korea President Lee Myung-bak will be in Manila from November 20 to 22 for a three-day state visit on the invitation of President Benigno Aquino III, according to the Department of Foreign Affairs.

During his state visit, Lee will meet with President Aquino to discuss ways to further enhance the rapidly growing relations between the two countries.

Also on the agenda of their talks are the recent developments and the future direction of Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)-ROK relations, the DFA said.

Mr. Aquino will also host a state dinner in honor of the visiting South Korean head of state.

While in the Philippines, Lee will likewise attend the Korea-Philippines Business Forum organized by the Philippine and Korean Chambers of Commerce and Industry.

He will also participate in a town hall meeting during which the ROK President will interact and hold a dialogue with students and faculty members of the Ateneo de Manila University.

In the past several years, the ROK has consistently been the Philippines’ top source of foreign tourists.

The DFA said that last year, the number of South Korean tourists reached 740,000, accounting for 21 percent of all foreign tourists who visited the Philippines in 2010.

The ROK also counts among the Philippines’ leading trade, investment and development partners, particularly in the fields of agriculture and infrastructure.

Lee’s visit comes at an important point in the 62-year long history of Philippine-ROK bilateral relations, which was formally established in 1949, the DFA said.

Philippine-ROK friendship was reinforced by the deployment of the Philippine Expeditionary Forces to Korea in September 1950 to join the United States-led 16-nation coalition in defending the ROK against the communist Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, it added.