President Yoon Suk Yeol has embarked on a six-day trip to the Philippines, Singapore and Laos.

Yoon and first lady Kim Keon-hee boarded a presidential plane at Seoul Air Base in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province, Sunday morning, for the three-nation Southeast Asia trip.

According to the presidential office, Yoon will first make a state visit to the Philippines and Singapore to hold summit talks to discuss ways to strengthen bilateral cooperation in nuclear power plants, key minerals and artificial intelligence.

Yoon is scheduled to hold summit talks with Philippines President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Monday to discuss ways to enhance bilateral relations before heading to Singapore.

The president will then head to Laos on Thursday to attend a series of meetings involving the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).

During Yoon's trip, South Korea plans to upgrade its relations with the ASEAN to a "comprehensive strategic partnership."

Yoon will attend the ASEAN summit and the ASEAN plus three summit involving South Korea, China and Japan. 

Yoon is also likely to hold the first summit with Japan's new Prime Minister Shigeru Ishida on the sidelines of the ASEAN meetings.