By Catherine Cueto

SENIOR officials from the Department of National Defense (DND) and Ministry of National Defense of the Republic of Korea (ROK) conducted another virtual Joint Defense Cooperation Committee (ODCC) Meeting recently.

In a statement from the DND, the said second meeting was made on October 19, 2022.

Co-chaired by the DND's Undersecretary Franco Nemesio Gacal and ROK's Vice Minister of National Defense Shin Beomchul, both sides exchanged views on the security situation in the South China Sea (SCS), West Philippine Sea (WPS), and the Korean Peninsula.

The said meeting also discussed the overall progress of the Philippines-ROK defense relations, including multilateral cooperation under ASEAN.

According to the DND, Vice Minister Shin also provided brief updates on the recent ballistic missile launches of Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) from the past weeks. 

The ROK side also expressed appreciation for the Philippines' continued support and call for the complete, verifiable, and irreversible denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.

On Philippines-ROK defense relations, Undersecretary Gacal highlighted that the two
countries' defense and military engagements have been sustained despite the restrictions of the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. 

Both officials also exchanged proposals on how to further strengthen Philippines-ROK defense relations. Relatedly, the Philippine side thanked ROK for its continued support Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) Modernization Program.

Both countries also expressed support of their multilateral initiatives under ASEAN, specifically in the ASEAN Defense Ministers' Meeting (ADMM)-Plus. 

The DND said that the meeting concluded with the two countries reaffirming their commitment in working towards a secure and stable Indo-Pacific region.