South Korea signs ‘strategic partnership’ with the Philippines

SEOUL, South Korea — South Korea and the Philippines agreed Monday to upgrade security ties to a “strategic partnership,” as Seoul becomes the latest regional democracy to boost its support for Manila as it confronts Chinese expansionism near its shores.

Security concerns — and the possible resurrection of a Philippine nuclear plant idled for decades — were on the agenda as South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol and Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. met in Manila for talks.

Mr. Yoon’s outreach to the Philippines — like his efforts to improve bilateral ties with Japan, another key U.S. ally in the region — is likely to receive a thumbs-up from the Biden administration as it encourages regional capitals to resist Chinese assertiveness.

An academic with experience advising previous Seoul administrations, however, sounded a warning note. The pro-American conservative governments of Mr. Yoon, Mr. Marcos and former Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, who left office last week, all faced political headwinds, he noted.

“This is a coalition of weak governments: pro-American governments in the region are unpopular with their people,” said the academic, who requested anonymity due to the sensitivity of his opinions. “Their pro-American policies have not become engines of political support whatsoever.”

According to press reports from Manila, the two presidents discussed issues including the South China Sea — parts of which the Philippines calls the West Philippine Sea — maritime security, defense industrial cooperation and Philippine nuclear power.

Mr. Yoon said that South Korea will “actively take part” in modernizing the Philippine Armed Forces. South Korea has already sold the Philippines surface escorts and light attack aircraft.

Like many smaller countries in the region, the Philippines has clashed with China in a series of territorial disputes over reefs and islets in the South China Sea. Manila has struggled to maintain the balance in the clash, given China’s far greater resources, including weaponized fishing fleets, a powerful coast guard and Beijing’s massive navy.

Mr. Yoon has also been promoting lucrative South Korean expertise in nuclear power. Last month, he visited the Czech Republic, where he signed a nuclear power partnership. In Manila, he signed a memorandum of understanding for South Korean nuclear engineers to examine the feasibility of bringing the Philippines’ long-shuttered Bataan Nuclear Reactor back into production.

Mr. Yoon is following in the footsteps of Mr. Kishida, who oversaw an upgrade in Manila-Tokyo security ties and attended a trilateral meeting with Mr. Marcos and Mr. Biden in April. Mr. Biden also hosted a groundbreaking summit with Mr. Kishida and Mr. Yoon at Camp David in August 2023.

But none of the three Asian leaders have turned their diplomatic move toward Washington into domestic popularity. Mr. Kishida stepped down in the face of low poll numbers last month, and was succeeded by Shigeru Ishiba, a defense specialist.

Mr. Yoon’s party failed to secure a majority in National Assembly elections in April, and personal scandals involving his wife have left the conservative government facing a tough electoral road to the next presidential election in 2027.

In the Philippines, Mr. Marcos posted solid approval and trust ratings in a survey conducted in June, but his numbers compare poorly to the numbers of Vice President Sara Duterte — daughter of the pro-China former President Rodrigo Duterte — which rose 2 points to 69% from March, with a trust rating of 71%.

Ms. Duterte exited Mr. Marcos’ cabinet in June, setting up a face-off in next year’s Senate elections, where, she, two of her brothers and her father are expected to run.

The political struggles of conservative, pro-U.S. leaders in the region are offset in part by rising public hostility to China and its aggressive moves of recent years.

“Washington is concerned about South Korea’s 2027 election and about a new government trying to undo things,” said Mason Richey, who teaches international relations at Seoul’s Hankook University of Foreign Studies. “But China is massively unpopular here and North Korea is not making it any easier [for South Korean progressives], either.”

Seoul’s foreign policy practices may be in flux, and Mr. Yoon’s more vocal, ideological stance may represent shifting public sentiments.

“Yoon’s change of focus is to say, ‘We stand with democracies,’ but a lot of people are uncomfortable,” said Michael Breen, author of “The New Koreans.” “Koreans are only one generation into democracy and are not used to telling the world how to behave or wagging their finger at other countries.”