SEOUL, 28 October 2016 ? The Philippines and the Republic of Korea (ROK) agreed to foster closer bilateral and regional cooperation during the successful conduct of the 6th Policy Consultation at The Shilla Hotel in Seoul on 28 October 2016.

Foreign Affairs Undersecretary for Policy Enrique A. Manalo led the eight-member Philippine delegation along with Executive Director for Asian and Pacific Affairs Evangeline T. Ong Jimenez-Ducrocq and First Secretary and Consul General Roderico C. Atienza.

First Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Lim Sung-nam led the seven-member Korean delegation, which was made up of officials from the ROK Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA).

The two sides reviewed the continued growth of bilateral relations and discussed measures to further enhance political, defense, economic, and socio-cultural cooperation. The importance of ensuring the safety and well-being of Filipino and Korean nationals in each other's territory was also highlighted in the meeting.

The Policy Consultation likewise provided an opportunity for both delegations to exchange views on regional and global developments affecting peace and stability in the Asia-Pacific region.

The Philippines established diplomatic relations with the ROK on 3 March 1949, becoming the fifth country to recognize the newly-established republic and the first in Southeast Asia to do so.

In September 1950, the Philippines joined the United Nations coalition in actively defending the ROK in the Korean War (1950-53) through the Philippine Expeditionary Forces to Korea (PEFTOK) with 7,420 Filipino soldiers representing the 4th largest foreign troop contribution.

In the aftermath of Typhoon Yolanda, the ROK provided humanitarian assistance to typhoon victims and deployed for one year starting in December 2013 the Araw Unit comprising more than 800 medical, rescue, recovery and engineering personnel from the Korea Disaster Relief and the Korean Armed Forces to assist in relief and recovery operations.

The ROK is one of the Philippines' top trading partners and major source of investments, as well as being the Philippines' top tourism market since 2010 with tourist arrivals consistently reaching 1 million for four straight years starting from 2012.

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