Female North Korean soldiers march during a mass military parade on Kim Il Sung Square in Pyongyang to mark the 60th anniversary of the Korean War armistice on, July 27, 2013. Top officials of the Philippines and North Korea held a meeting in Pyongyang more than a week ago, a rare occasion where the two countries agreed to further bilateral ties and discussed the security situation in the tense Korean Peninsula. AP Photo/David Guttenfelder
MANILA, Philippines—Top officials of the Philippines and North Korea held a meeting in Pyongyang more than a week ago, a rare occasion where the two countries agreed to further bilateral ties and discussed the security situation in the tense Korean Peninsula.
Ambassador Erlinda Basilio, the country’s envoy to China and nonresident representative to North Korea, sought an audience on July 24 with Kim Yong Nam, the north’s de facto head of state being President of the Presidium of the Supreme People’s Assembly.
As President of the Presidium since 1998, Kim wields wide-ranging powers, including law enforcement, legislation and diplomatic functions.
In ceremonies at the hall of the Supreme People’s Assembly, Basilio presented to Kim her credentials as the Philippine ambassador to the reclusive state, making one of the very few visits by Filipino officials to North Korea.
Former Foreign Secretary Alberto Romulo had made a historic visit to Pyongyang in 2007.
“In her meeting with the President of the Presidium, Ambassador Basilio committed to working toward ensuring closer bilateral relations between the Philippines and the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK), and reiterated the strong hope and desire of the Philippines for peace and stability to prevail in the Korean Peninsula,” the DFA said in a statement yesterday.
Appointed the Philippines’ envoy to China in December last year, Basilio recently added North Korea to her diplomatic portfolio, managing the country’s ties with the secretive state of Supreme Leader Kim Jong-un.
Closest ally
China is known to be North Korea’s closest ally. The Philippines has maintained bilateral relations with North Korea for 14 years now even as it actively calls out Pyongyang for its provocations and war rhetoric toward South Korea.
During the meeting, Basilio “broached exploring closer cooperation with the DPRK in the fields of education, disaster risk reduction and management, culture, and people-to-people exchanges, among other things,” the DFA said.
There was, however, no mention of any discussion on North Korea’s nuclear program, which caused trouble in the Korean Peninsula in April following Pyongyang’s threats of a nuclear strike against South Korea and its allies.
The situation had placed the Philippines on alert as it watched over the safety and security of some 40,000 Filipinos working and residing in South Korea.
Kim welcomed Basilio’s appointment and was optimistic that Philippine-DPRK ties would improve during her term.
Economic giant
The North Korean official also commended the Philippines for its efforts to ensure internal security and recent economic growth, expressing hopes that his country could also rise as an “economic giant.”
Pyongyang has invited global criticism for excessive state control, with a history of famine and human rights abuses, among others.
“The DPRK official commended the Philippines for its domestic stability and remarkable economic growth in the recent period,” the DFA said.
Kim congratulated the Philippines on its successes and achievements in economic development under the leadership of President Aquino, the DFA said.
Basilio, who traveled to Pyongyang with other officials from the Philippine mission in China, also met with officials of North Korea’s foreign affairs and cultural ministries, the DFA said.