26 July 2016 – Foreign Affairs Secretary Perfecto R. Yasay, Jr. met with Republic of Korea Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se on the sidelines of the 49th ASEAN Ministerial Meeting Post-Ministerial Conferences in Vientiane, Laos.
The two Ministers affirmed the excellent cooperation between the Philippines and Korea, with Minister Yun making special mention of the enhanced measures being implemented by the Philippines to protect the safety foreign nationals in the Philippines, including the 1.5 million Koreans living and working in the country.
Secretary Yasay welcomed Korean assistance to the Philippines, particularly in defense, infrastructure and transportation. Minister Yun said that Korea has a comparative advantage in infrastructure development, which has been proven in its engagement with a number of ASEAN countries.
The Secretary said that through hard work and dedicated negotiations, the ASEAN Foreign Ministers arrived at a consensus regarding ASEAN’s commitment to maintaining and promoting peace, security and stability in the region, and to the peaceful resolution of disputes, including full respect for legal and diplomatic processes. The inclusion of this principle into the Joint Communiqué was heartily welcomed by the Korean side.
Finally, Minister Yun thanked Secretary Yasay for the Philippines’ principled stance against North Korea’s nuclear testing and the strong statement delivered by the Secretary on the matter during the ASEAN-Korea Foreign Ministers’ Meeting held earlier in the day. END