Duterte arrives for summit with Moon

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte arrives at Incheon International Airport, Sunday, for his three-day visit to South Korea that includes a summit with President Moon Jae-in. / Yonhap

Duterte poses with Korea's top-ranking police officers / Yonhap

By Kim Rahn

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte arrived in Seoul, Sunday, for his three-day official visit here.

Duterte is the first head of an ASEAN member nation to visit South Korea since President Moon Jae-in took office in May last year.

Moon and Duterte will have a summit and a dinner on Monday. It will be their second bilateral talk following the previous talk that took place in November when Moon visited the Philippines for the ASEAN Plus Three summit.

The two leaders will discuss comprehensive ways to strengthen bilateral relations and intensify practical cooperation in trade, investment, agriculture, infrastructure construction, the defense industry and cultural and human exchanges, according to Cheong Wa Dae.

The Philippines is one of the major partners in Moon's New Southern Policy, which seeks economic cooperation and more exchanges among South Korea, Southeast Asian nations and India.

“We are expanding cooperation with ASEAN members, and with Moon's earlier visit to Vietnam and Duterte's visit here, the New Southern Policy will likely begin to make full progress,” presidential spokesman Kim Eui-kyeom said.

Moon will also seek Duterte's support in the ongoing negotiations over North Korea's denuclearization, with the Washington-Pyongyang summit to be held about a week later.

The Philippines is the first ASEAN country with which South Korea formed diplomatic ties ― in March 1949, only months after the South established its government in August 1948. The country also fought for South Korea during the 1950-53 Korean War.