SEOUL, 01 June 2022 - The ASEAN Committee in Seoul (ACS) met with ROK Foreign Affairs Minister Park Jin on 27 May 2022 at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs building. This is the ACS'first meeting with the new ROK Foreign Affairs Minister.

Foreign Minister Park Jin assured the ACS that the Yoon administration will continue to strengthen strategic cooperation with the ACS members across numerous sectors. He likewise expressed hopes for closer and more active Korean partnership with ASEAN in connection with the recently launched Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), and the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework (IPEF). Foreign Minister Park also conveyed his desire to visit all the ASEAN member states in due course either on stand alone visits and/or as part of Ministerial or summit meetings.

Ambassador Dizon-De Vega congratulated Minister Park on his appointment and looked forward to working even more closely with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in further enhancing PH-ROK relations. She added that with common participation in various international and regional platforms, like the RCEP and the IPEF, and the early signing and implementation of the PH-ROK FTA, a major economic milestone under the Duterte Administration, the Philippines is ready to continue being a close partner of ROK in addressing mutual pressing economic, security, and health concerns.

The Ambassador also shared, among others, that Philippine President-elect Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. looks forward to the further elevation of PH-ROK Partnership which would be a fitting backdrop as the Philippines and the Republic of Korea commemorate 75 Years of Diplomatic Relations in 2024. Ambassador De Vega likewise reaffirmed that PH aligns itself with ROK's views on peace in the Korean Peninsula and is a ready partner for dialogue and diplomacy as a founding member of ASEAN, and as a participant in the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF).

The Ambassador mentioned that President-elect Marcos anticipates the active revival of two-way travel between the PH and ROK and of people-to-people exchanges noting that flight operations to and from the PH and ROK have started to increase. Lastly, the Philippines' interest, as mentioned by President-elect Marcos to Korean Ambassador Kim In-Chul, on seeking best practices exchanges with Korea on the operational use of nuclear energy and digitalization was likewise shared with FM Park. END