The Official Website of the Philippine Embassy in Seoul, Korea

PH JOINS ROUNDTABLE ON FACILITATING GLOBAL NET-ZERO WITH ROK MINISTER FOR TRADE AHN DUKGEUN

Philippine Ambassador Theresa Dizon De Vega at the roundtable on facilitating global net-zero with select Ambassadors to the ROK on 20 July 2023.

21 JULY 2023 - Ambassador Theresa Dizon-De Vega shared Philippine priorities on climate change cooperation with the Republic of Korea at a roundtable on facilitating global net-zero organized by the Ministry of Trade, Industry, and Energy on 21 July 2023. The meeting was chaired by ROK Minister of Trade Ahn Dukgeun.

Minister Ahn briefed Ambassadors present on the coordinating mechanism on climate issues, the development cooperation policies of the Korean government in terms of mitigation of greenhouse gas emissions (GHG), and the ROK’s goals on country-to-country facilitation to realize global net-zero. According to Minister Ahn, the Republic of Korea considers carbon neutrality as an indispensable focus and a global endeavor for investments in partner countries on climate cooperation.

For her part, Ambassador Dizon-De Vega informed the meeting that the Philippines has a very positive policy environment to come up with a regulatory framework and legal mandate to pursue net zero policies. She also emphasized that implementing measures to enhance the readiness of the public and private sectors to take on a net zero future is also in place.

Ambassador Dizon-De Vega likewise conveyed that although the Philippine government has yet to come up with a detailed net zero plan, the Philippines already has the building blocks moving towards this goal, and there is now a higher consciousness and a greater desire to accelerate the transition to net zero and pave the way to a green transition.

Ambassador Dizon-De Vega also noted that the government remains committed to climate mitigation, as the PH national budget carries the highest allocation for climate expenditures by far, consisting mainly of the promotion of renewable energy and improvement of traffic infrastructure-mobility to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. She also conveyed that key priorities for the ROK and the Philippines include unlocking new areas for cooperation on renewable energy development, addressing the low transfer and diffusion of green technology, two-pronged for capacity building and data gathering and analysis, green farming or creating green value-based chains in emission-intensive industries, and low emission tracking technologies.

Ambassadors and heads of the diplomatic missions of Vietnam, Bangladesh, Thailand, Uzbekistan, Indonesia, and Mongolia attended the briefing. Senior officials from the Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency and the Korea Energy Agency were also in attendance. Ambassador Dizon-De Vega was joined by Third Secretary and Vice Consul Reisha Olavario.

The Philippines continues to work with international development cooperation partners like the Republic of Korea to turn climate commitments into action, charting the course towards achieving a climate and disaster-resilient, inclusive, and green and blue recovery. END

AMBASSADOR DIZON-DE VEGA REAFFIRMS STRONG AND DYNAMIC PH-ROK TIES DURING CALL ON NEW ROK MOFA DIRECTOR GENERAL FOR SOUTHEAST ASIAN AFFAIRS

Philippine Ambassador Theresa Dizon De Vega and ROK MOFA Director General Kim Dongbae at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Korea, 19 July 2023

19 JULY 2023 - Ambassador Theresa Dizon-De Vega reaffirmed the strong and dynamic ties between the Philippines and the Republic of Korea during her courtesy call on the new MOFA Director General for Southeast Asian Affairs Kim Dongbae on 19 July 2023.

Both sides had a productive discussion on upcoming high-level exchanges and visits, and priority areas for cooperation including the signing of agreements, cooperation in multilateral and international organizations, and the convening of bilateral consultative mechanisms in the political, economic, consular, and socio-cultural spheres. As a member of the ROK delegation to the recently-concluded ASEAN Post Ministerial Conference, Director General Kim was pleased to share that PH Secretary of Foreign Affairs Enrique A. Manalo and ROK Foreign Minister Park Jin had a fruitful discussion on PH-ROK cooperation in Indonesia. Both sides likewise looked forward to working closely together on commemorative activities, as the Philippines and the Republic of Korea will celebrate 75 years of diplomatic relations next year. END

PH AMBASSADOR THERESA DIZON-DE VEGA AND SAMSUNG EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT WON-KYONG KIM DISCUSS BUSINESS AND INVESTMENT OPPORTUNITIES FOR THE PHILIPPINES

PR MTD 97 2023 CourtesyCall of Samsung EVP

Philippine Ambassador Theresa Dizon De Vega and Samsung Executive Vice President Won-kyong Kim discuss business and investment opportunities for the Philippines

19 JULY 2023, Seoul - Ambassador Theresa Dizon-De Vega and Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. Executive Vice President for Global Public Affairs Won-kyong Kim had a productive meeting at the Philippine Embassy in Seoul on 18 July 2023. Mr. Kim called on the Ambassador to discuss future business and investment opportunities of Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd in the Philippines.

Ambassador Dizon-De Vega shared that the Philippines will celebrate 75 years of diplomatic relations with the Republic of Korea next year and hoped that Samsung will continue to support more PH-ROK economic engagement. Mr. Kim conveyed that the Philippines is one of Samsung’s valued partner countries in Southeast Asia and expressed hope that this partnership will continue to grow. Both sides looked forward to stronger economic relations, especially with the forthcoming signing of the Philippines-Republic of Korea Foreign Trade Agreement (PH-ROK FTA).

The Samsung Executive Vice President was joined by Mr. Paul Yoon of the Samsung Global Public Affairs Team’s Corporate Management Office. Ambassador Dizon-De Vega was joined by the Embassy’s economic team, Third Secretary and Vice Consul Reisha Olavario, and Commercial Attaché Jose Ma. Dinsay.

Samsung Corporation is currently the largest company in the Republic of Korea with a USD 292.2 B market cap. In the Philippines, investments of Samsung Electro-Mechanics Philippines Corporation (SEMPHIL) in the country has surpassed USD 25 billion. END

PRESIDENT MARCOS INAUGURATES THE SAMAR PACIFIC COASTAL ROAD PROJECT FUNDED BY THE GOVERNMENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF KOREA

President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. (middle) and Public Works and Highways Secretary Manuel Bonoan (right) unveil the marker of the Samar Pacific Coastal Road. They were joined by ROK Ambassador to the Philippines H.E. Lee Sang-hwa (left). Photo courtesy of PCOO.

Tacloban City, Philippines – On 14 July 2023, President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. led the inauguration of the Samar Pacific Coastal Road (SPCR) project phase 1 in Northern Samar which was completed after five years of construction. The project was funded by the government of the Republic of Korea through the Export-Import Bank of Korea (KEXIM). The PHP1.12 billion SPCR project phase 1 has opened with 11.6-kilometers of concreted road stretch, including three bridges.

In his remarks, President Marcos was hopeful that the project will soon bring development to Northern Samar’s agricultural sector. He said “With the opening of this road and its bridges, the development of Northern Samar’s rich agricultural lands and bountiful fishing grounds will follow suit. It will also expedite the delivery and movement of our basic goods and services, which will hopefully boost our people’s quality of life.”

He added that this undertaking, strengthens the Philippine government’s effort to address insurgency in the province and “ensure that economic gains and basic service will reach everyone on the island.”

Cooperation in infrastructure development to increase movement of people and goods, improve the delivery of services, and stimulate economic and business activities are some of the key priorities of PH-ROK bilateral relations.

In addition to the SPCR, ROK is also funding twenty-one (21) other projects in the Philippines. The Philippines is looking forward to pursue more collaboration and more flagship projects with the Republic of Korea. END