(LEAD) Lee heads to Manila for summit with Marcos after Singapore visit

▲ President Lee Jae Myung (L), alongside his wife, Kim Hea Kyung, waves at Singapore's Changi Airport as they depart for Manila, the Philippines, after wrapping up his state visit to Singapore on March 3, 2026. (Yonhap)

▲ President Lee Jae Myung speaks during a state dinner hosted by Singaporean President Tharman Shanmugaratnam at Capella Singapore on March 2, 2026. (Yonhap)

(LEAD) Lee-Philippines

(LEAD) Lee heads to Manila for summit with Marcos after Singapore visit

(ATTN: UPDATES with Lee's departure in lead; ADDS details from 4th para, photos)

By Kim Eun-jung

SINGAPORE, March 3 (Yonhap) -- President Lee Jae Myung departed for Manila to hold summit talks with Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Tuesday to discuss bilateral ties, wrapping up his three-day state visit to Singapore.

It will mark Lee's second summit with Marcos following their first meeting on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in late October.

The two leaders are expected to explore ways to deepen cooperation in the defense industry, infrastructure and trade, as well as in promising sectors including nuclear power, shipbuilding, critical minerals and artificial intelligence, presidential spokesperson Kang Yu-jung said.

Upon arrival in Manila, Lee will visit the Jose Rizal Monument to honor Rizal, the national hero of the Philippines, and hold talks with Marcos, followed by a signing ceremony for memorandums of understanding and a joint press announcement.

The two countries forged diplomatic ties on March 3, 1949, making the summit coincide with the anniversary of diplomatic relations.

The Philippines was the first Southeast Asian nation with which South Korea established diplomatic relations and the first Asian country to dispatch troops to the 1950-53 Korean War.

On Wednesday, Lee is scheduled to attend a business forum involving business leaders from both countries and meet with Korean residents in the Philippines before flying back home.

South Korea is one of the Philippines' major economic partners, with the bilateral free trade deal taking effect in 2024.

Cheong Wa Dae expressed hope that Lee's two-nation trip will promote coordination with key members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) on the international stage and help pave the way for deeper ties with the regional bloc.

In Singapore, Lee held summit talks with Singaporean Prime Minister Lawrence Wong to discuss ways to forge closer economic ties and attended the AI Connect Summit to discuss artificial intelligence cooperation between the two Asian tech powerhouses.

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