South Korea Speaker Kim Jin-pyo due in Manila

The Speaker of the South Korea’s Congress will visit the Philippines this week to meet local officials and continue to strengthen the Philippines-Korea bilateral relations.

National Assembly Speaker Kim Jin-pyo is set to arrive in Manila on July 23 for a three-day working visit.

On July 24, he will meet with his Philippine counterpart, House Speaker Martin Romualdez. He will also visit the Libingan ng mga Bayani for a wreath-laying ceremony at the Korean Memorial Pylon.

On the 25th, Kim Jin-pyo is scheduled to meet with Vice President Sara Duterte and Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri.

When asked what the Korean Speaker will be discussing with Philippine officials, the South Korean Embassy in Manila said a briefer of the Speaker’s visit will be provided when he departs for Seoul.

South Korea is one of the country’s major trading partners with the Philippines exporting more than $10 billion to South Korea in 2022, the biggest chunk of which are integrated circuits ($696 million), office machine parts ($240 million) and bananas ($202 million).

South Korea is also the country’s number one source of international tourists. A total of 741,658 South Korean tourists, accounting for 24.72 percent of the total international visitors, arrived in the country from Jan. 1 to June 30 this year.