The President Hosts Official Dinner for Philippine President

Following their summit, President Moon Jae-in hosted an official dinner for visiting Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte at Cheong Wa Dae this evening.

The dinner served as a venue for Korea and the Philippines to celebrate their 70-year-long friendship looking forward to the 70th anniversary of diplomatic ties next year and the promise of another 70 years of peace and prosperity.

In 1949, the Republic of Philippines became the first country other than the permanent members of the U.N. Security Council to establish diplomatic relations with the Republic of Korea. In addition, the Philippines was the third country to decide to send troops to fight in the Korean War after the United States and the United Kingdom.

Over the past 70 years since the two countries forged a friendship, there have been continuous vibrant exchanges, evidenced by the fact that the number of visitors traveling between the two countries exceeds two million and the bilateral trade volume reaches US$14.3 billion. 

On the occasion of President Duterte's official visit, President Moon proposed to start celebrating the friendship the two countries have fostered over the past 70 years since the establishment of diplomatic ties and working together to prepare for the coming 70 years of peace and prosperity.  

President Moon emphasized his intentions to actively push for forward-looking, mutually-beneficial cooperation with the Philippines, where more than 100 million young people are serving as the main driving force behind the country's dynamic development and realization of the development vision. 

Saying that he was pleased to meet with President Moon again following their meeting in November last year, President Duterte expressed his appreciation for President Moon's warm hospitality. He continued to say emphatically that he wished that the peoples of the two nations would become closer and that the two countries’ relationship would grow stronger. 

Expressing the hope that the initiative led by President Moon for the development of inter-Korean relations and the establishment of permanent peace on the Korean Peninsula turns out to be successful, President Duterte said his country would provide active support for the Korean Government’s effort. 

The menu for the dinner consisted of Korean and Philippine dishes and Philippine fruits. 

There was a performance with a theme of friendship between the two countries. Sandara Park, a Korean singer who enjoyed huge popularity in the Philippines, emceed the show. Jazz recitals by both Korean and Philippine musicians were followed by Miryang Arirang, a traditional Korean folk song, and a famous Philippine song, Ikaw, performed by CBS Children's Choir and Hwang Yo-han, a Korean singer based in the Philippines.