Korea president to meet Aquino

MANILA, Philippines - South Korea President Lee Myung-bak will have a bilateral meeting covering tourism, trade and agriculture with President Aquino in Malacañang today.

Lee and first lady Kim Yoon-ok arrived on board a Boeing 747 jet at 1:20 p.m. yesterday at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminal II for a three-day state visit.

They were accompanied by a large delegation of Korean government officials and businessmen.

The first couple was welcomed by Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert del Rosario, Social Welfare and Development Secretary Corazon Soliman, and Energy Secretary Rene Almendras. 

Also at the airport to welcome them were Manila International Airport Authority general manager Jose Angel Honrado and Air Force commanding general Lt. Gen. Oscar Rabena. 

A schedule of the visit provided by the Palace Communications Operations office said a welcome ceremony would be held at the Malacañang grounds at 9:10 a.m. Lee will sign the Palace guestbook, a practice done by visiting heads of state and dignitaries.

Lee will then call on Aquino at the Malacañang Music Room where they will hold a bilateral meeting.    

“We expect them to discuss subjects of common interest to the Philippines and to South Korea. We all know that many tourists here in the Philippines come from South Korea. We also have common interests in trade and investments,” said deputy presidential spokesperson Abigail Valte in an interview with radio station dzRB.

Aquino and Lee will sign bilateral agreements at 10:30 a.m. at the Malacañang Reception Hall, after which they will issue a joint statement.

Lee will also attend the Korea-Philippine Business Forum - Chief Executive Officers Roundtable Meeting at the Manila Hotel at 11:30 a.m.

A state dinner would be held at 7:30 p.m. at the Malacañang Rizal Hall, during which Lee and Aquino will deliver speeches and ceremonial toasts.

The Republic of Korea has consistently been the top source of foreign tourists to the Philippines.

Last year, 21 percent of all foreign tourists in the country, numbering around 740,000, were from South Korea.

The bilateral relationship between the Republic of Korea and the Philippines was formally established in 1949.

Friendship between the two countries was reinforced by the deployment of the Philippine Expeditionary Forces to Korea in September 1950.

The Philippine troops joined the United States-led, 16-nation coalition in defending the Republic of Korea against the communist Democratic People’s Republic of Korea. - Alexis Romero, Rainier Allan Ronda