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This Week in AsiaPolitics

South Korea signals counter-China ambitions with Philippines visit by Yoon

Yoon Suk-yeol’s state visit, the first by a South Korean president since 2011, came as the nations upgraded ties to a strategic partnership

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South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol waves besides his wife Kim Keon-hee before their departure to the Philippines on Sunday. Photo: Yonhap/dpa
Jeoffrey Maitem
South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol’s rare state visit to the Philippines highlights Seoul’s ambition to play a more proactive role as a middle power and counter China’s regional expansionism, observers say.
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On Monday, the two nations upgraded bilateral ties to a strategic partnership, Yoon’s Philippine counterpart, Ferdinand Marcos Jnr, announced.
Experts say Yoon’s trip underscores Seoul’s intention to close ranks with “like-minded” nations – such the United States, Japan, and Australia – to ensure a “free, open and rules-based” Western Pacific.
After arriving in Manila on Sunday with First Lady Kim Keon Hee, Yoon paid tribute at the Korean War Memorial Hall and met members of the local Korean community in the Philippine capital. His visit is part of a broader Southeast Asian tour that will also take him to Singapore and Laos for the annual Association of Southeast Asian Nations summit.

This marks the first state visit by a South Korean president to the Philippines since 2011, a milestone highlighted by Seoul’s ambassador to Manila, Lee Sang-hwa. He described the trip as a “pivotal moment” in the 75-year diplomatic relationship between the two nations, which was “expected to further elevate” their “already robust” ties on various fronts, including regional and international issues.

South Korean soldiers march through Seoul to mark the country’s 76th Armed Forces Day on October 1. Photo: AFP
South Korean soldiers march through Seoul to mark the country’s 76th Armed Forces Day on October 1. Photo: AFP

It reflects South Korea’s growing commitment to putting its Indo-Pacific strategy into practice, according to geopolitical analyst Don McLain Gill, an international-studies lecturer at De La Salle University in Manila.

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