Yoon Arrives in Abu Dhabi Escorted by UAE Fighter Jets

Elevating to a 'Special Strategic Partnership' through summit talks by the 17th
Large delegation of businesspeople accompany... Presidential Office to provide comprehensive support for UAE market entry

[Abu Dhabi=Asia Economy Reporter Baek Kyunghwan] On the afternoon of the 14th (local time), President Yoon Seok-yeol made a state visit to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) via Abu Dhabi International Airport aboard Air Force One, the presidential aircraft. President Yoon visited the UAE at the invitation of Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the UAE President, marking his first overseas trip of the new year. This is the first state visit by a Korean head of state to the UAE since the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries in 1980.

As Air Force One entered UAE airspace that day, four UAE Air Force fighter jets, two on each side, escorted the plane in a show of honor for President Yoon as a state guest. At the airport, high-ranking UAE officials including Abdullah Al Nahyan, Minister of Foreign Affairs; Suhail Al Mazrouei, Minister of Energy and Infrastructure; Noura Al Kaabi, Minister of Culture and Youth; Khaldoon Al Mubarak, Chairman of the Abu Dhabi Executive Office; and Abdullah Al Nuwaimi, UAE Ambassador to Korea, welcomed President Yoon and his wife, Kim Keon-hee. On the Korean side, Ambassador Ryu Je-seung to the UAE and his spouse, Shin Min-chul, President of the Korean Association in the UAE, and Park Hyung-moon, Chairman of the Democratic Peaceful Unification Advisory Council UAE branch, attended the welcoming ceremony.

President Yoon Suk-yeol and First Lady Kim Keon-hee arrived at Abu Dhabi Royal Airport in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on the 14th (local time) and are disembarking from Air Force One.
[Photo by Yonhap News]

The reason President Yoon chose the UAE as his first destination of the year and his first visit to the Middle East is rooted in South Korea’s diplomatic focus on economic revitalization and export expansion. A presidential office official explained, "Through this visit, we will significantly strengthen strategic cooperation with our brotherly nation, the UAE, in four core areas: nuclear power, energy, investment, and defense industry. The scope and depth of cooperation will be further expanded through multiple agreements."

President Yoon will stay in the UAE for three nights and four days until the 17th, during which he will hold a summit with President Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan to discuss agendas including upgrading bilateral relations to a 'special strategic partnership.'

He was accompanied by an economic delegation consisting of about 100 Korean companies. This is a measure to comprehensively support Korean companies’ entry into the UAE market. Cooperation plans with the UAE sovereign wealth fund are also expected to be discussed during this process. The economic delegation was formed on a private sector-led basis, with about 70% of participating companies being mid-sized enterprises. In addition to traditional cooperation sectors such as energy, infrastructure, and construction, companies from promising fields of bilateral economic cooperation such as defense industry, game content, smart farms, tourism services, and consumer goods were also included.

Earlier, after taking office around the same time in May last year, President Yoon and UAE President Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan confirmed their intention to develop bilateral relations through the dispatch of special envoys and exchange of letters. The presidential office added, "This time, by meeting directly and engaging in in-depth conversations, they will build a strong trust relationship. This will be a very valuable asset for strengthening the relationship between the two countries going forward."