25 SEPTEMBER 2022, BUSAN - Philippine Ambassador to Korea Theresa Dizon-De Vega and DFA Assistant Secretary for Maritime and Oceans Affairs Maria Angela A. Ponce met with the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries Deputy Minister Song Myeong-Dal on 21 September 2022. Ambassador Dizon-De Vega expressed appreciation for the support and participation of the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries in the inaugural PH-ROK Maritime Dialogue.

Deputy Minister Song conveyed that the Philippines can look forward to the Republic of Korea's expanded programs on marine debris and marine environment conservation with KOICA, especially on plastic pollution monitoring and management. Deputy Minister Song also looked forward to working with the Philippines under the ambit of international governmental organizations where both the ROK and PH are members, including Partnerships in Environmental Management for the Seas of East Asia (PEMSEA).

As a response, Assistant Secretary Ponce expressed that both the ROK and the Philippines have aligned priorities regarding maritime cooperation, as the Philippines just released the National Plan of Action on Marine Litter in November 2021. She also expressed the importance of capacity-building on fisheries, ocean economy, and new technology in this field. Ambassador Dizon-De Vega reiterated some points from the PH-ROK maritime dialogue including the need for working group level focal points for cooperation work of implementors on the ground, especially for Fisheries Monitoring. At the end of the meeting, both sides agreed to work closely together for the 2nd PH-ROK Joint Fisheries Committee (JFC) Meeting which will be held in January 2023. It is the next important ocean economy engagement with the Republic of Korea, after the 1st PH-ROK Maritime Dialogue.

The JFC is a useful forum to discuss very specific technical cooperation projects such as capacity building, especially training courses which are very important in the ocean economy. END