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Seoul: South Korean President Yoon Hek-yeol will depart for Abu Dhabi on Saturday, making him the first South Korean leader to visit the United Arab Emirates (UAE) since the two countries established diplomatic relations in 1980.
His four-day visit is part of a strategy between the two countries that focuses on boosting South Korean exports, especially energy and arms, Yonhap news agency reported.
Yoon plans to meet UAE President Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan and visit South Korean military contingent Akh Force and the South Korean-built Barakah nuclear power plant, a symbolic step to reaffirm its commitment to abolish nuclear phase-out The policies of his predecessor, Moon Jae-in.
The two sides are reportedly in the final stages of concluding some 30 memorandums of understanding involving the government and the private sector, with energy, arms and investment among key areas of cooperation.
A senior presidential official said there was a plan to announce a deal to export South Korean arms to the United Arab Emirates.
“The atmosphere between South Korea and the UAE for security or military cooperation involving the arms industry is very mature,” the official said.
Yoon will also accompany a business delegation of about 100 Korean company officials to support their expansion into the UAE and discuss the possibility of working with the UAE sovereign wealth fund.
Yoon will travel from the UAE to Zurich, Switzerland on Jan. 17 and meet South Korean residents in the city before heading to Davos on Jan. 18-19 for the World Economic Forum.
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