S. Korea, Philippines vow to beef up defense cooperation

SEOUL — Senior defense officials of South Korea and the Philippines met via video conference Monday and vowed to strengthen cooperation despite the new coronavirus situation, the defense ministry said.

During the inaugural session of the Joint Defense Cooperation Committee between the two countries, Vice Defense Minister Park Jae-min and his Filipino counterpart Ricardo David discussed various security issues, including the COVID-19 pandemic and peace efforts on the Korean Peninsula, according to the ministry.

Park asked for the Philippines’ support for Seoul’s hosting of the UN Peacekeeping Ministerial Conference next year, as well as for the cybersecurity unit under the Asean Defense Ministers’ Meeting Plus (ADMM-Plus) which South Korea is to co-chair with Malaysia from 2021 to 2023.

David thanked South Korea for the provision of masks to his country and expressed hope to quickly overcome the virus situation through continued cooperation, according to the ministry. Park pledged to actively share the military’s experience combating the new virus.

Park and David also commemorated Filipino veterans who fought for South Korea during the 1950-53 Korean War. This year marks the 70th anniversary of the outbreak of the conflict.

“The vice ministers … agreed to develop the committee as a regular communication channel for the defense ministries of the two countries,” it said in a release. (Yonhap)