Duterte lands in Busan for ASEAN-ROK meet

Korean officials welcome President Duterte at the Gimhae Air Base in Busan on Monday morning. (PCOO screen grab)

President Rodrigo Duterte arrived about 2 a.m. (1 a.m. Phl time) on Monday at the Gimhae Air Base in Busan, South Korea, to attend the Association of Southeast Asian Nations-Republic of Korea (ASEAN-ROK) Commemorative Summit.

Philippine Ambassador to the Republic of Korea Noe Wong, Chief of Presidential Protocol and Presidential Assistant on Foreign Affairs Robert Eric Borje, Korean Ambassador to the Philippines Han Dong-Man and other ROK officials welcomed Duterte.

President Duterte and other heads of state of the 10-nation ASEAN and President Moon Jae-In of South Korea will discuss key global issues, including infrastructure sectors, water supply, cooperation on defense, development aid and job training, in the two-day summit that coincides with the 30-year diplomatic relations between the Philippines and ROK.

President Duterte will meet with executives of top Korean companies in the afternoon, followed by a bilateral meeting with the South Korean president.

ROK also hosted the two previous Commemorative Summits with ASEAN in Jeju (2009) and Busan (2014).