Yoon and Muhammad Call Each Other "Brothers"... Building Trust Beyond Strategic Partnership with UAE

Yoon "The Security of Our Brother Nation UAE Is Our Security"
Muhammad "A Warm Welcome to Korea's Brothers"

[Abu Dhabi=Asia Economy Reporter Baek Kyunghwan] The state visit of the South Korean president, achieved 43 years after the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries in 1980, left a meaning beyond strategic partnership as the two countries called each other "brothers." It also marked a practical achievement of $30 billion (approximately 40 trillion KRW) investment resulting from economic-centered summit diplomacy just eight months after President Yoon Suk-yeol took office.

On the 15th (local time), President Yoon visited the Ark Unit deployed in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and said, "Ark means brother in Arabic." He also explained, "The security of the UAE, our brother country, is our security," and "We and the UAE are in very similar positions."

At the state banquet before President Yoon’s visit to the Ark Unit, UAE President Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan said, "Although the UAE and Korea are geographically far apart, our cultures and customs that value family, respect elders, and warmly welcome guests are very similar," and added, "I send warm Lunar New Year greetings to Korea’s brothers and a welcome to their visit to the UAE."

President Yoon Suk-yeol, on a state visit to the United Arab Emirates (UAE), is holding an expanded Korea-UAE summit with UAE President Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan at the Abu Dhabi Presidential Palace on the 15th (local time).
[Photo by Yonhap News]

Since both presidents took office around May last year, they have confirmed their will to develop bilateral relations through special envoy dispatches and exchange of letters. The presidential office also explained before the trip, "This time, by meeting directly and having in-depth conversations, we will build a strong trust relationship," and "It will be a very valuable asset in strengthening the relationship between the two countries going forward."

President Yoon dispatched a condolence delegation led by Special Envoy Jang Je-won, who served as the chief secretary to the president-elect, to the UAE to offer condolences for the late Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the ruler of Abu Dhabi, who passed away in May last year. The delegation, composed of Jang Je-won, the ambassador to the UAE, and senior officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, met with the bereaved family and conveyed President Yoon’s and the Korean people’s condolences. At that time, the presidential office said, "The president should go in person (to offer condolences), but since he could not, he sent a close aide," emphasizing the significance of the special envoy.

Last month, before the trip, Chief Secretary Kim Dae-gi was dispatched as a special envoy to deliver a letter expressing the will to strengthen bilateral relations. It is known that during this process, President Yoon delivered not only his own letter but also a letter from former President Lee Myung-bak. This intention was also reflected in President Yoon’s calm promise during the Korea-UAE summit to "carefully manage it as president" after securing large-scale investments.

The previous administration did send special envoys to the UAE. In December 2017, during the Moon Jae-in administration, then-Chief Secretary Lim Jong-seok visited the UAE secretly as a presidential special envoy. However, the conservative camp at the time interpreted this as an attempt to appease UAE’s dissatisfaction with the Moon administration’s nuclear phase-out policy. Some speculated about bribery allegations related to nuclear power plant project bids and even about the Moon administration’s covert investigations, which further widened the gap between the two countries.

The presidential office expects that with the inauguration of the Yoon administration, the trust and scope of cooperation between the two countries will greatly expand. President Yoon’s bringing an economic delegation composed of about 100 Korean companies on this trip is in line with this context.