Toast Remarks by President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. at the State Banquet in Honor of H.E. Lee Jae Myung and Mrs. Kim Hea Kyung

His Excellency Lee Jae Myung, President of the Republic of Korea, esteemed ministers and officials of the Philippines and the Republic of Korea, distinguished guests, members of the media, ladies and gentlemen, it is my distinct honor to welcome His Excellency Lee Jae Myung, President of the Republic of Korea, to Malacañan Palace this evening.

Our decades of cordial and productive relations which we elevated to a strategic partnership in 2024 span many areas of mutual interest.

During our comprehensive meetings, President Lee and I covered a wide range of areas in our bilateral partnership, including defense and security, maritime cooperation, economic development and cooperation, and people-to-people exchanges.

We are in full agreement that we have made significant strides in advancing and deepening our bilateral cooperation towards the attainment of our mutually beneficial goals.

We acknowledge the efforts of both sides to enhance bilateral trade and investment and we look forward to realizing the full potential of the Philippines-Republic of Korea free trade agreement for the benefit of both our countries.

I expressed appreciation for the Republic of Korea’s invaluable assistance and contributions to the modernization of our armed forces and strengthening of our coast guard, investments that help revive our shipbuilding industry and strengthen our role in the semiconductor value chain, infrastructure projects such as Panguil Bridge in Northern Mindanao amongst others, development programs in health, agriculture, mechanization, energy, and the use of artificial intelligence, and the protection of the rights and welfare of over 70,000 Filipinos living and working in the Republic of Korea.

President Lee and I likewise exchanged views on regional and international issues such as the South China Sea and the Korean Peninsula. We both recognize the growing uncertainty in geopolitical developments, which is why we agreed on the need to firmly and consistently uphold a rules-based order governed by international law, including in the maritime domain.

We earlier witnessed the event that we had concluded a number of agreements in the fields of defense materials procurement, veterans affairs, agriculture, trade, investment and economic cooperation, intellectual property, digital cooperation, digitalization and innovation, Korean language training in schools – in our schools, cultural cooperation, police cooperation and all these to sustain the momentum of the Philippines-ROK strategic partnership for the future.

I invite you now all to rise and to join me in a toast to His Excellency, President Lee Jae Myung and Madam Lee, and to the Republic of Korea and the closer and stronger ties between our two countries.

Cheers.

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