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Duterte meets South Korean envoy ahead of Seoul visit


President Rodrigo Duterte on Monday met with South Korea’s ambassador to the Philippines ahead of his visit to Seoul next week for a summit with South Korean leader Moon Jae In.

South Korean Ambassador Han Dong Man paid a courtesy call on Duterte in Malacañang where the two discussed security and defense cooperation as well as tourism.

Duterte also expressed hope that the conflict between South Korea and North Korea would finally be resolved, according to a news release from the presidential palace.

Instability in the Korean peninsula has long worried the Philippines due to large presence of Filipino workers in South Korea, numbering to at least 65,000.

The two Koreas, however, have since taken steps to achieve lasting peace in the peninsula.

Last month, North and South Korea agreed to complete denuclearization of the Korean peninsula and seek a permanent end to their 65-year-old conflict.

Han, meanwhile, said that the tourism industry between the two countries “has been continuously improving, noting the decrease in crime rate during President Duterte’s leadership.”

The Philippines attracted 6.6 million foreign  tourists last year. Of this number, 1.6 million are South Koreans, making the East Asian country the top source of foreign tourists.

Duterte is scheduled to make an official visit to South Korea from June 3 to 5. — Virgil Lopez/RSJ, GMA News

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