PCG and KCG personnel mark the BADARO 3011’s port visit to Manila. (Facebook/Philippine Coast Guard)
South Korea is expanding practical maritime security cooperation with ASEAN as the Korea Coast Guard (KCG) training ship BADARO 3011 arrives in the Philippines for a four-day port visit with the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) from September 14 to 17.
The PCG said the visit will bring together 108 officers, crew members and Korea Coast Guard Academy trainees for professional exchanges and joint training. Activities include visit, board, search and seizure (VBSS), anti-smuggling operations, search and rescue, firefighting, artificial respiration and cardiopulmonary resuscitation.
The programme also includes equipment briefings and academic exchanges, allowing personnel from both coast guards to share operational experience. The BADARO has previously visited Manila in 2018, 2019 and 2024, making the latest port call part of an established pattern of bilateral coast guard exchanges.
The engagement builds on the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Maritime Cooperation between the PCG and KCG, signed in October 2024. The agreement covers maritime law enforcement, information-sharing, search and rescue and efforts to strengthen maritime order and safety.
South Korea has also been seeking to deepen its wider engagement with ASEAN. They also identified maritime security and law enforcement as areas for greater cooperation with the regional bloc, alongside support for ASEAN-led regional mechanisms.
The two countries have also actively supported for maintaining peace and stability in the South China Sea (SCS) while reaffirming the importance of UNCLOS and peaceful dispute resolution, while raising concern over coercive activities and actions that undermine the rules-based order.
Against this backdrop, South Korea’s engagement with the Philippines therefore extends beyond bilateral coast guard training, forming part of a wider effort to contribute to maritime security cooperation in Southeast Asia.
This approach combines bilateral capacity-building with broader ASEAN engagement. Practical Cooperation with the Philippines through maritime training creates a channel on maritime law enforcement and other operational areas.
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