Noy cancels trip to South Korea

MANILA, Philippines - President Aquino has canceled his trip to South Korea this week to monitor the situation in areas pummeled by Typhoon Ruby.

The President will no longer attend the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) – Republic of Korea (ROK) commemorative summit to be held from Dec. 11 to 12, Malacañang said yesterday.  

“Please be advised that due to Typhoon Ruby, the President has decided to cancel his participation in the ASEAN-ROK Commemorative Summit in Busan, South Korea this December,” a Malacañang advisory read.

A Palace official, however, told The STAR that the Philippines would still send a high-level delegation to the event.

Among those who would represent the Philippines are Secretary to the Cabinet Jose Rene Almendras and Finance Secretary Cesar Purisima, a source said.

The summit will be held at the Busan Exhibition and Convention Center and will mark the 25th anniversary of the dialogue partnership between South Korea and the regional ASEAN bloc.

Aquino would have delivered a statement on the theme “Building Trust, Bringing Happiness.”

He was supposed to have a bilateral meeting with South Korean President Park Geun-hye on Dec. 11.

Aquino was also scheduled to attend sideline events like an exhibition on Korean traditional arts and crafts and a special exhibition on public governance.

Also canceled was Aquino’s meeting with the chief executive officer of the Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI), the company that will supply the 12 lead in-fighter trainer jets to the Philippine Air Force.

The Philippines delegation will attend commemorative summit sessions that will review the ASEAN-ROK cooperation on Dec. 12. The sessions will tackle the future direction of the relationship as well as non-traditional issues like disaster risk management and climate change.

“This event will represent an excellent occasion to explore a whole spectrum of fields for the pursuit of our shared prosperity,” South Korean foreign minister Yun Byung-se said in a statement posted on the summit’s website.

“This 2014 ASEAN-ROK Commemorative Summit will serve to generate fresh momentum for us to move forward together, on a basis of mutual trust, towards a bright future,” he added.

South Korea and ASEAN established dialogue relations in 1989. The 10-member bloc is now the second largest trading partner and investment destination of South Korea.

About five million Koreans visited ASEAN countries last year, one million of whom went to the Philippines.

South Korea has been engaging with the regional bloc in different areas of cooperation like micro, small and medium enterprises, labor and migration, trade and investment, development cooperation and people-to-people exchange.