Anchor: South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol and Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. met in Manila and took the first steps toward a strategic partnership between the two nations. 

On the sidelines of Yoon's state visit to the Philippines, Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power(KHNP) and the Philippine government signed an agreement to launch a feasibility study on whether to revive the Southeast Asian country’s long-disused Bataan nuclear power plant.
Our Bae Joo-yon has more. 

Report: South Korea and the Philippines have agreed to elevate bilateral relations and form a strategic partnership, 75 years after the two countries forged diplomatic ties.

At a leaders' summit on the occasion of President Yoon Suk Yeol's state visit Monday, Seoul and Manila decided to enhance two-way cooperation on the economy and security by establishing the new partnership.

Yoon and Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. agreed to expand the participation of South Korean businesses in core infrastructure projects in the Southeast Asian country. 

They will also look at the possibility of revamping the Bataan nuclear power plant, which was completed in the 1980s but never put in operation.

Yoon said he and Marcos agreed on the importance of nuclear power as a carbon-free energy source, and that the two sides had signed a memorandum of understanding to undertake a feasibility study on the project.

The leaders called for peace and stability along the South China Sea, with Seoul pledging to expand participation in combined military drills in waters near the Philippines. 

The two sides also intend to bolster cooperation in the defense industry to modernize the Philippine military.

Marcos affirmed his support for Seoul's efforts to denuclearize North Korea and for Yoon's recent "August 15 Unification Doctrine."

After wrapping up his visit to the Philippines, Yoon is making another state visit to Singapore to hold talks with Prime Minister Lawrence Wong on Tuesday.

Then he will fly to Laos to attend a series of meetings concerning the Association of Southeast Asian Nations(ASEAN).
Bae Joo-yon, KBS World Radio News.