Philippine president to meet S. Korea's Moon next week in Seoul

MANILA, June 1 (Xinhua) -- Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte will meet with South Korean President Moon Jae-in when he visits Seoul next week, a government spokesman said on Friday.

Philippine Foreign Undersecretary Ernesto Abella told a news conference at the presidential palace that Duterte will leave on Sunday for a three-day visit to South Korea to reaffirm the relations between the two countries.

"The significance of this visit basically has to do with conveying to the Republic of Korea the importance of its partnership with the Philippines and to reaffirm the strength of Philippine-Republic of Korea relations," Abella said.

The rehabilitation of war-ravaged Marawi City in the southern Philippines will be among the topics that Duterte and Moon will discuss plus issues aimed at boosting trade and tourism between the two countries, Abella said.

He said South Korea donated 100,000 U.S. dollars to the Philippine Red Cross.

Abella said Duterte will also participate in a summit meeting, business luncheon forum and E-Mart Philippine Food Festival.

During the visit, Abella said Duterte will witness the signing of various memoranda of understanding on transportation, science and technology and trade.

There will also be a reference to social cooperation or the protection of nationals of both countries, with about 1.6 million South Korean tourists to the Philippines and 450,000 Filipino tourists to South Korea in 2017, aside from the expatriates in each country, Abella said.

In Seoul, Abella said Duterte will also meet with the Filipino community.

There are about 68,000 Filipinos in South Korea and many are skilled workers, while the rest are students, professionals, missionaries, and spouses, Abella said. Enditem