Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, November 13) — President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. backed South Korea’s efforts to denuclearize the Korean Peninsula on the sidelines of the 2022 ASEAN summit in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, according to Malacañang.
The Office of the Press Secretary (OPS) said Marcos also expressed alarm over North Korea’s continuous missile testing.
“This is of great concern and we are fully supportive of the Republic of Korea in all your efforts to denuclearize North Korea,” Marcos told South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol in a bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the 40th and 41st ASEAN Summit and Related Summits.
“The Philippines is one with you on that and we will do what we can to assist South Korea in that effort,” he added.
The OPS said both leaders have agreed to boost their ties to a new level in order to improve security, infrastructure, energy, and people-to-people exchanges.
“I do believe that it is time that we start to work to elevate our bilateral relations to a strategic partnership. Our newly launched bilateral platforms on science and technology, fisheries, cooperation and maritime cooperation, all contribute to the deepening of this engagement,” said Marcos.
