September 11, 2025
SEOUL – South Korea has become an indispensable partner in the Philippines’ military modernization, providing core assets such as FA-50 fighter jets. Now Manila is exploring ways to deepen that relationship through joint production, the Southeast Asian country’s top defense official said Tuesday.
On the sidelines of the 2025 Seoul Defense Dialogue, Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro told The Korea Herald that Korean-built systems form the backbone of his country’s current capabilities.
“Korea, as our track record has shown, provides a substantial amount of our core military capabilities, from frigates to the FA-50 fighters to our munitions,” he said in an interview in Seoul.
The Philippine defense chief has hailed Korean-built FA-50s as a reliable and cost-effective addition to the country’s arsenal, saying the jets produced by Korea Aerospace Industries have become “an actual addition to our air arsenal.”
“We have found the platform to be reliable, cost-effective and capable of multiple roles beyond the role it was originally envisioned to play. It is a testament to the quality of work — so with our frigates — of the Korean defense industry,” Teodoro explained.
KAI announced in June that it had signed an export contract with Manila to deliver 12 FA-50PH fighter jets, marking a major export achievement worth about 980 billion won ($706 million). The Philippine Air Force would operate a total of 23 FA-50PH light fighter jets, once deliveries are complete by around 2030. The FA-50PH is a Philippine variant of the FA-50, tailored to the country’s own security demands.
The latest deal underscores how South Korea has become central to Manila’s modernization drive, even as Philippine defense planners seek to accelerate timelines to keep pace with rapidly evolving threats.
Manila, he added, is no longer content to rely on a slow defense planning, which risks leaving forces with outdated equipment. Instead, the government will push for a faster modernization program that prioritizes both asymmetric tools and traditional war-fighting capabilities.
“We cannot work on 15-year horizons,” Teodoro said, referring to the Armed Forces of the Philippines’ “Horizon” program, focused on spreading out modernization over a 15-year plan, broken into three five-year phases. “If you have a 15-year horizon, by the time you complete it, everything may already be obsolete.”
Within that framework, South Korea is expected to play a key role, according to the top Manila defense official. Officials in Manila are exploring the joint production of defense equipment, and partnerships could also extend into energy resilience and infrastructure, broadening the defense relationship into an economic and technological alliance.
“And we see, hopefully, potential for joint production of defense equipment — recently, HHI has expanded its footprint in the Philippines, and that is an area of potential convergence,” Teodoro explained. “We also look forward to converging with other Korean companies for energy resilience and for infrastructure, too.”
In March, HD Hyundai Heavy Industries, a major South Korean shipbuilder, unveiled a 3,200-ton patrol vessel for the Philippine Navy, which is scheduled to be delivered to Manila in September, following sea trials and final outfitting. HHI is positioning itself as a long-term industrial partner for the Philippines, most visibly through the revival of the Subic Bay shipyard, once Asia’s largest shipbuilding facility. After years of dormancy following the bankruptcy of its former operator, the sprawling complex is being brought back to life under a long-term lease by HHI’s Philippine subsidiary.
Teodoro added that at “the end of the day, there are defense convergences,” reflecting how the Philippines increasingly sees South Korea not only as a reliable supplier, but as a long-term strategic partner in building a credible defense posture.
The Philippine defense chief emphasized that his country’s defense partnership with South Korea is “unique,” rooted in a shared history that stretches back 75 years. He noted that after World War II, Korea was the only theater where the Philippines deployed combat troops — in the 1950-53 Korean War — creating a bond that continues to shape bilateral relations today. The Philippines was the first country among what would later become the Association of Southeast Asian Nations bloc to establish diplomatic ties with South Korea in 1949.
That legacy, he said, has produced resilience and sustainability in the defense relationship.
“We stand for the same values. We face the same threats,” he explained, noting that while Korea lives under the shadow of a nuclear-armed neighbor, the Philippines also faces nuclear threats in its own region. “Basically, Korea being still under an armistice, the situation is much more volatile here, which we watch with interest too.”
Beyond security concerns, Teodoro highlighted the “very strong people-to-people ties” between the two nations, which he described as the foundational linchpin of the relationship. This combination of history, shared values and close social links, he said, provides the basis for a “great future” in defense cooperation.
At the same time, the defense minister warned against complacency.
Even as Manila and Seoul expand cooperation in mutually beneficial areas, the evolving security environment cannot be ignored. “We would be remiss in our responsibilities to both our peoples if we neglected a reality that continues to evolve day by day: the threat of conflict, the threat of subjugation, the need to deter,” he said.