Self-Proclaimed 'South Korea's First Salesperson'... Various Sales Achievements
Special Address at Davos Forum by Korean Leader After 9 Years
President Yoon Suk-yeol returned home on the 20th (local time) after completing a 6-night, 8-day tour of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Switzerland.
On the morning of the same day, around 11 a.m., President Yoon boarded the presidential aircraft, Air Force One, at Zurich International Airport in Switzerland following a farewell ceremony.
At the airport, Ambassador Yoon Sung-deok of the Korean Mission in Geneva and Ambassador Geum Chang-rok of Korea in Switzerland came out to see off President Yoon and his wife.
President Yoon entered the airport wearing a navy suit with a blue tie, while First Lady Kim wore a navy coat with a blue scarf. When departing from Seongnam Seoul Airport on the 14th, President Yoon and First Lady Kim also wore a blue tie and scarf, respectively.
After exchanging greetings with them, President Yoon shook hands with local police officers. Then, the President and First Lady held hands and boarded Air Force One together.
Before takeoff, President Yoon posted on Facebook his reflections on completing the UAE and Switzerland itinerary as his first overseas trip of the new year, stating, "I will do my best for the Republic of Korea to create a new map and pioneer new routes."
This was a reiteration of the quote from the genius scientist Albert Einstein, "You cannot explore the world with an old map," which President Yoon cited during his visit to the Dubai Future Museum.
He added, "The future is what we create. During this trip, I witnessed the passion and spirit of challenge of our people vividly," emphasizing, "We have never settled for an old map. We have always dreamed of innovation and development, and that remains unchanged."
President Yoon was accompanied by an economic delegation composed of over 100 companies on his UAE and Switzerland tour, positioning himself as the "Republic of Korea's No. 1 salesperson" and demonstrating active economic diplomacy.
First, in the UAE, which he visited as the first Korean president for a state visit since diplomatic relations were established in 1980, President Yoon secured investments worth $30 billion (approximately 37 trillion KRW) through a summit with the UAE leader. Additionally, memorandums of understanding (MOUs) and contracts worth at least $6.1 billion (approximately 7.5 trillion KRW) were signed between companies from both countries.
Cooperation between Korea and the UAE expanded beyond traditional sectors such as energy and defense to new industries including eco-friendly technologies, digital transformation, and the metaverse.
Upon arriving in Switzerland, President Yoon attended the World Economic Forum (WEF, Davos Forum) annual meeting and held a luncheon with global CEOs to request investment.
At the Davos Forum, he was the first Korean president to attend since former President Park Geun-hye in 2014, delivering a special in-person speech after nine years. In his special address titled "For Active Solidarity," President Yoon urged the pursuit of "solidarity among nations," "supply chain restoration," and "coexistence and prosperity."
Denmark's Vestas, the world's leading wind turbine manufacturer, announced a $300 million (approximately 370 billion KRW) investment in Korea and plans to relocate its Asia-Pacific regional headquarters to Korea, making Korea a key hub in the Asia-Pacific region. Investment cooperation plans worth $500 million (approximately 610 billion KRW) were also discussed with companies such as Merck and Novartis.
Furthermore, at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich, President Yoon met with scholars in the field of quantum science to explore related policy directions. The government plans to pool national capabilities and foster talent to become a leading nation in quantum science.
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