SKorea seeks more naval drills with PH

Adaci, on the other hand, expressed his gratitude to his counterpart for their continuous support of the Philippine Navy’s modernization program, particularly in the manufacture of several ships that are now being used in patrolling the exclusive economic zone of the Philippines, Negranza said.

In December 2021, Korea Shipbuilding and Offshore Engineering Co. won a 583-billionwon ($470-million) contract to build two patrol frigates for the Philippines.

The BRP Jose Rizal (FF-150) and BRP Antonio Luna (FF-151) were both built by Hyundai Heavy Industries and are now in service. Two corvettes and six offshore patrol vessels are currently being built by the South Korean shipyard.

The Philippine Navy also acquired its most powerful ship to date, the BRP Conrado Yap (PS39), an ex-Pohang class corvette (a small warship), which was donated by South Korea to the Philippines. Two more “Pohang” class corvettes are on the way.

Negranza said Adaci also emphasized the sustainability of Navy-to-Navy talks between the two countries as he finds it highly beneficial for both.

“We learn a lot from you and it is one way for us to discover avenues of cooperation in terms of education and training, and modernization,” he told his South Korean counterpart.

Navy-to-Navy talks

The most recent Navy-to-Navy talks between the Philippine and South Korean Navies were held in Busan, South Korea on Dec. 1, 2022.

The highlight of the talks focused on education and training, people-to-people exchanges, logistics cooperation, combined exercises and ship visits.

The Navy-to-Navy talks were held under the Terms of Reference (TOR) signed by the Philippines and South Korea in 2019.

One of the specifics under the TOR is the conduct of biennial Navy talks which provides a forum for regular dialogue and information exchange between the two countries and to discuss matters of common importance and to promote mutual interests.

The meeting between the two Navy chiefs comes as South Korea strives to expand its presence in the Southeast Asian nation’s arms market.

In recent years, South Korea has emerged as the world’s fastestgrowing arms exporter.

The Philippines is one of the biggest buyers of South Korean weapons, accounting for 16 percent of its sales.

South Korea’s support comes as the Philippines is locked in a territorial dispute with China, which has laid claim to the entire South China Sea, including the West Philippine Sea (WPS).

An arbitral ruling in 2016 granted the Philippines sovereign rights and jurisdiction over its exclusive economic zone in the WPS, which China has refused to recognize as it continuously harassed Filipino fishermen and Philippine ships that patrol the area.

Australian Foreign Minister and Sen. Penny Wong in a visit to the Philippines this May said her country was committed to continuing its presence in the WPS and South China Sea to maintain peace and stability in the region and was “open to cooperating with all partners to exercise freedom of navigation and overflight,” adding, “The Philippines is a long-standing important security partner for us.”

The United States, a long-standing ally of the Philippines, has identified four new areas in the country where it would house its arms and supplies under the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA) between the two countries — a move that has angered China.