Noy, Korean president to meet on Nov. 20

MANILA, Philippines - President Lee Myung-bak of the Republic of Korea (ROK) will undertake a state visit to the Philippines on Nov. 20 to 22, upon the invitation of President Aquino, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said yesterday.

The DFA said Lee is scheduled to meet with Aquino to discuss ways to further enhance the rapidly growing relations between the two countries.

Recent developments and the future direction of Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)-ROK relations will also be discussed.

Aquino will host a state dinner in honor of the visiting head of state.

While in the Philippines, Lee will attend the Korea-Philippines Business Forum organized by the Philippine and Korean Chambers of Commerce and Industry.

He will also participate in a town hall meeting, during which the ROK president will interact and hold dialogue with the students and faculty of the Ateneo de Manila University.

Over the past several years, the ROK has consistently been the top source of foreign tourists to the Philippines. Last year, the figure reached 740,000, accounting for 21 percent of all foreign tourists that visited the Philippines in 2010.

The ROK also counts among the Philippines’ leading trade, investment and development partners, particularly in the fields of agriculture and infrastructure.

Lee’s visit comes at an important point in the 62-year history of Philippine-ROK bilateral relations, which was formally established in 1949.

Philippine-ROK friendship was reinforced by the deployment of the Philippine Expeditionary Forces to Korea (PEFTOK) in September 1950 to join the United States-led 16-nation coalition in defending the ROK against the communist Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.