 | |
 South Korea |  Philippines |
|---|---|
| Diplomatic mission | |
| Embassy of the Philippines, Seoul | Embassy of South Korea, Manila |
| Envoy | |
| Ambassador Maria Theresa Dizon-De Vega | Ambassador Lee Sang-hwa |
ThePhilippines–South Korea relations (Korean: 대한민국-필리핀 공화국 관계;Hanja: 大韓民國-필리핀 共和國 關係;RR: Daehanminguk–Pillipin Gonghwaguk Gwangye;Filipino:Ugnayang Pilipinas at Timog Korea) are the bilateral relations between theRepublic of the Philippines and theRepublic of Korea. The Philippines has an embassy inSeoul, while South Korea has an embassy inManila. The relationship between the Philippines and South Korea 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. They are both close allies of theUnited States.
Moon Soon-deuk, considered as Korea's first person to learn a Philippine language (i.e. the Ilocano language), was able to use his interpretation skills conversing with the five Filipinos who were shipwrecked off Jeju Island in 1801 and were able to return home after nine years. He was the first recorded Filipino interpreter in Joseon dynasty.[1]
Moon, a survivor of shipwreck himself, was a ray merchant who lived on Ui Island, drifted to Japan's Okinawa Island with his uncle and four other colleagues, and then ended up seeing the Philippines, Macao and China. They were hit by the typhoon while on their way home from another island nearby after purchasing some fish known as "hongeo". Moon had a flair with foreign languages as he acquired the language in Yeosong (Luzon) - possiblyIlocano language, and had a sharp eye for the way the people lived. He was able to describe the towns, churches, houses, and how people prepared food in the northern Luzon region.[2]
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DuringWorld War II, the Japanese forcefully imported Korean soldiers to the Philippines to serve Japan's occupation from 1944 until the end of the war. During this time, Koreans were branded as "more cruel than the Japanese", however, a study published in 2012 found these rumors to be baseless. Only 2 Korean soldiers were ever convicted of war crimes in the Philippines. The study notes that the rumors may have likely been spread by the Japanese throughout the islands to incur hate against ethnic Koreans during and after the war.[3] Bilateral relations between South Korea and the Philippines were established on March 3, 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 firstASEAN country to establish relations with the new nation.[4][5] During theKorean War (1950-1953), the Philippines sent its forces to aid South Korea. It was the first Asian country to respond to the call of the United Nations (UN) to help South Korea when it was invaded by Chinese and North Korean communist forces.[6][7]
As of 2009, there were 45,000 Filipinos residing in South Korea.[8] In 2011, the South KoreanMinistry of Foreign Affairs and Trade conducted a census and found that there were more than 90,000South Koreans living in the Philippines, a fall of 16% from 2009 after a period of rapid growth in the population in the preceding decade.[9][10][11] In 2017, civilian groups in the Philippines and South Korea joined forces to push for the inscription ofVoices of the ”Comfort Women” in theUNESCO Memory of the World Programme. The inscription, however, was blocked by Japan.[12]
TheRepublic of Korea Air ForceBlack Eagles aerobatic team led by 8 T-50B jets andPhilippine Air Force’s 4 FA-50Hlight combat fighters perGilbert Teodoro flew together on March 3, 2024 to hold a free 3-dayClark Air Base “Black EaglesAirshow and Friendship Flight” for the 75th anniversary of thediplomatic relations between the Philippines and South Korea.[13][14]
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.[15] 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.[16] In October 2024, PresidentFerdinand "Bongbong" Marcos, Jr. acknowledged the importance of Korean culture to the Filipinos: "with Korean restaurants sprouting out around the Philippines, Filipinos have shared stories and have laughed over somekimchi, somesamgyeopsal with friends and family, and of course, the countless hours we have spent binge-watching our favoriteKorean dramas and listening toK-pop. This highlights how the Filipinos love Koreans."[17]
On the last day of 2024, afree trade agreement between the two states which was signed by their respective leaders on September 7, 2023[18] took effect,[18][19][20][21] after it was ratified by theSenate of the Philippines three months earlier.[22]
On 10 September 2025, Lee ordered the suspension of a development loan for bridge construction in the Philippines after reports showed it had been revived under political pressure despite earlier rejection over corruption risks. The Philippines had originally requested a ₩586 billion (US$439 million) loan from theEconomic Development Cooperation Fund in 2023 to finance the project, which aimed to build 350 bridges by 2028. TheMinistry of Economy and Finance rejected the loan in February 2024, citinggraft concerns and low chances of success, but the plan was later revived after lobbying by lawmakerKweon Seong-dong, who later faced arrest in a political funds scandal, leading Lee to halt the project and commend the media for exposing irregularities.[23] In response, the PhilippineDepartment of Finance said that no such loan with South Korea existed.[24]
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Military relations between the two countries started during theKorean War when the Philippine government senttroops to enforce theUnited Nations campaign against the communist coalition of North Korea and China.
South Korea is an active arms donor and supplier for theArmed Forces of the Philippines.
They have donated numerous military hardware to the Philippines in the past, such as a number ofF-5A/B fighter jets for thePhilippine 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 ofT-41 trainer planes.
In 2014, South Korea donated the ROKS Chungju, aPohang-class corvette, to thePhilippine Navy. She was handed over, refitted, and commissioned as theBRP Conrado Yap (PS-39) on August 5, 2019.[25][26]
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The South Korean government also actively fulfills contracts for the Philippines for a variety of military hardware. These range fromsmall arms,armored tactical vehicles, missile frigates, to multirole fighters.
In 2017, South Korea delivered the last batch of the 12FA-50 Fighting Eagle light fighter jets ordered by the Philippines.[27]
On October 16, 2018,Hyundai Heavy Industries laid down and began construction onBRP Jose Rizal (FF-150), the first missile frigate of herclass and one of two that had been placed on order by the Philippine government. She was launched on May 23, 2019 and commissioned in May of the following year. Laying down and construction of the next missile frigate,BRP Antonio Luna (FF-151), also began on May 23, 2019. She was launched on November 8, 2019 and commissioned on March 19, 2021.[28][29]
In 2012, the first naturalized Korean lawmaker with Filipino descent received backlash from racist and xenophobic Korean netizens. The attacks were focused on the lawmaker's Filipino ethnic background.[30] In 2016, a South Korean businessman waskidnapped and killed by rogue cops in the Philippines who accused him of being involved in theillegal drug trade.[31][32][33] The Philippine government has apologized for the incident.[34] In July 2020, a Philippine envoy resigned after allegedly sexually harassing a Korean woman in 2019.[35] In September 2020, online conflict sparked between the two nations over Korean racism against Filipinos. A Filipino wore clothing which looked like the Japanese rising sun. This angered many Koreans due to South Korea's history with Japan. Korean users spouted racist remarks over the skin color and other physical attributes of indigenous Filipinos.[36]
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Media related toRelations of the Philippines and South Korea at Wikimedia Commons
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