Philippines–South Korea relations
The South Korea–Philippines relations refers to the bilateral relations between the Republic of Korea and the Republic of the Philippines. South Korea has an embassy in Manila while the Philippines has an embassy in Seoul. The relationship between South Korea and the Philippines can be classified as strong as the two countries have historically been and continue to be close diplomatic and military allies. They are also significant economic partners in terms of trade, immigration, and tourism.
History
Bilateral relations between South Korea and the Philippines were established on 3 March 1949 upon the recognition of Republic of Korea as a sovereign state by the Philippines. The Philippines was the fifth state to recognize the Republic of Korea and the first ASEAN country to establish relations with the new nation.Economic relations
South Korea is the sixth biggest trading partner of the Philippines, while the Philippines is the third most attractive Southeast Asian country for South Korean investors in 2011. South Korea also provides the biggest tourist market for the Philippines. In 2011, Koreans topped the list of tourists in the Philippines, followed by Japanese and Americans.Military relations
Military relations between the two countries started during the Korean War when the Philippine government sent troops to enforce the United Nations campaign against the communist coalition of North Korea and China.South Korea is an active arms donor and supplier for the Armed Forces of the Philippines.
They have donated numerous military hardware to the Philippines in the past, such as a number of F-5A/B fighter jets for the Philippine Air Force. These planes have since been decommissioned, but not before seeing ample use in the latter‘s domestic military operations against communist and Muslim separatist insurgents. In addition to this, South Korea had also donated a number of T-41 trainer planes.
In 2014, South Korea donated the ROKS Chungju, a Pohang-class corvette, to the Philippine Navy. She was handed over, refitted, and commissioned as the BRP Conrado Yap on 5 August 2019.
The South Korean government also actively fulfills contracts for the Philippines for a variety of military hardware. These range from small arms, armored tactical vehicles, missile frigates, to multirole fighters.
In 2017, South Korea delivered the last batch of the 12 FA-50 Fighting Eagle multirole fighters ordered by the Philippines.
On 16 October 2018, Hyundai Heavy Industries laid down and began construction on BRP Jose Rizal, the first missile frigate of her class and one of two that had been placed on order by the Philippine government. She was launched on 23 May 2019 and commissioned in May of the following year. Laying down and construction of the next missile frigate, BRP Antonio Luna, also began on 23 May 2019. She was launched on 8 November 2019 and is expected to be commissioned some time in October 2020.
Others
As of 2009, there were 45,000 Filipinos residing in South Korea.In 2011, the South Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade conducted a census and found that there were more than 90,000 South Koreans living in the Philippines, a fall of 16% from 2009 after a period of rapid growth in the population in the preceding decade.
In July 2020, it was reported that a former ambassador of the Philippines to South Korea was included in the Interpol's Red Notice list. The ambassador submitted his resignation on 16 March 2020 after allegations of sexual harassment of a South Korean woman in December 2019 in Seoul.
Country comparison
| Official name | Republic of the Philippines | Republic of Korea |
| Native Name | ᜇᜒᜉᜓᜊ᜔ᜎᜒᜃ ᜅ᜔ ᜉᜒᜎᜒᜉᜒᜈᜐ᜔ Republika ng Pilipinas | 대한민국 Daehan Minguk |
| Coat of Arms | ||
| Flag | ||
| Seal | ||
| National Motto | Maka-Diyos, Maka-Tao, Makakalikasan at Makabansa | 홍익인간 / Hongik Ingan |
| National Anthem | Lupang Hinirang | 애국가 / Aegukga |
| Population | 100,981,437 | 50,924,172 |
| Area | ||
| Population Density | ||
| Time zone | Philippine Standard Time | Korea Standard Time |
| Capital | City of Manila | ' |
| Largest Cities | Quezon City – 2,936,116 City of Manila – 1,780,148 | – 9,838,892 Busan Metropolitan City – 3,506,103 |
| Established | 12 June 1898 4 July 1946 | 1 March 1919 15 August 1945 |
| Predecessor States | Colonial Period Spanish East Indies Sovereign Tagalog Nation Military Government of the Philippine Islands Insular Government of the Philippine Islands Tagalog Republic Philippine Commonwealth Post–Colonial Period ' | Colonial Period Joseon State Japanese-ruled Korea Post–Colonial Period Military Government in Korea Republic of Korea |
| Government | Unitary presidential constitutional republic | Unitary presidential constitutional republic |
| First Leader | Emilio Aguinaldo Manuel Luis Quezon | Gojong Syngman Rhee |
| Current Leader | President: Rodrigo Duterte | President: Moon Jae-in |
| Current Leader | Vice President: Maria Leonor Robredo | Prime Minister: Chung Sye-kyun |
| Legislature | Congress | National Assembly Speaker: Park Byeong-seug |
| Legislature | Senate President: Vicente Sotto III House of Representatives Speaker: Alan Peter Cayetano | National Assembly Speaker: Park Byeong-seug |
| Judiciary | Supreme Court Chief Justice: Diosdado Peralta | Constitutional Court President: Yoo Nam-seok Supreme Court Chief Justice: Kim Myeong-soo |
| Military | Armed Forces of the Philippines Chairman: Felimon Santos Jr. | Armed Forces of the Republic of Korea Chairman: Park Han-ki |
| Military | Philippine Army Philippine Air Force Philippine Navy | Republic of Korea Army Republic of Korea Air Force Republic of Korea Navy |
| Law Enforcement | Philippine National Police National Bureau of Investigation | Korean National Police Agency Supreme Prosecutors' Office |
| Intelligence | National Intelligence Coordinating Agency | National Intelligence Service |
| Religion | ||
| Official language | Filipino, English | Korean |
| GDP | US$811.726 billion | US$1,498 trillion |
| Currency | Philippine peso | Korean Republic won |