DND may acquire South Korean submarine

MANILA, Philippines — The Department of National Defense (DND) is looking at the possibility of acquiring a submarine from South Korea for the Philippine Navy.

Defense Assistant Secretary Jesus Rey Avilla of the Office for Logistics, Acquisition and Self-Reliant Defense Posture met last month with Vice Minister Seo Hyeung Jin of the Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) of South Korea for a bilateral discussion in Seoul.

DND spokesman Director Arsenio Andolong said the talks focused on the defense cooperation between the Philippines and South Korea.

Andolong said both parties cited South Korea’s contributions to the modernization program of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), including the delivery of two missile frigates officially commissioned in 2020 and 2021 – the BRP Jose Rizal and BRP Antonio Luna.

He said other possible areas of cooperation such as the procurement of corvettes and submarines for the Philippine Navy were also discussed during the meeting.

Avilla expressed appreciation for South Korea’s continuous cooperation with the DND and AFP amid the global health crisis.

The DND delegation visited facilities dedicated to the manufacture and production of Korean-made submarines and ammunition raw materials, according to Andolong.

Seo also invited Avilla to visit South Korea for the Philippine-Republic of Korea 24th Joint Committee Meeting on Logistics and Defense Industry Cooperation, which will be hosted by DAPA this year.