South Korea’s president heads to UAE for arms sales

“I think in terms of geopolitics, the situation in the Middle East is changing rapidly,” said June Park, a fellow at the Schmidt Futures International Strategy Forum. “So South Korea wants to secure some strategic partnerships and components with the UAE.”

Yoon arrived at the Qasr Al Watan palace in Abu Dhabi on Sunday.He was greeted by UAE leader Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan took office in May After serving as the country’s de facto ruler for many years.

An Emirati guard of honor in traditional dress greets Yoon and his wife, Kim Kun-hee. They wheeled model Lee-Enfield rifles beside troops on camel and horseback. Inside, a military band played the national anthems of South Korea and the United Arab Emirates.

After the ceremony, Yonhap quoted Sheikh Mohammed as saying that the UAE plans to invest $30 billion in South Korea. “We have decided to invest in the Republic of Korea, which keeps its promises under any circumstances,” he said.

The report did not elaborate.

While energy-hungry South Korea does rely on the UAE for less than 10 percent of its crude supplies, Seoul has struck a series of deals far beyond oil with the country of seven emirates, which have strong ties to Abu Dhabi. South Korea’s trade with the UAE involves billions of dollars worth of autos, materials and other goods.

Before Yoon’s trip, officials described the trip as seeking to cement an already existing relationship between the two countries.

“The visit will strengthen strategic cooperation with our brotherly country, the UAE, in the four core cooperation areas of nuclear power, energy, investment and defense,” said Kim Sung-han, director of the National Security Bureau of the Yin government.

On Saturday, South Korea’s Yonhap news agency quoted an unnamed presidential official as saying an arms deal was also planned.

“The atmosphere between South Korea and the UAE for security or military cooperation involving the arms industry is very mature,” the official said. According to Yonhap News Agency.

already, South Korea inks $3.5bn deal with UAE in 2022 to sell M-SAM, an advanced air defense system designed to intercept missiles at altitudes below 40 kilometers (25 miles).Afterwards, UAE officials became increasingly concerned about protecting their airspace Iran-backed Houthi rebels target long-range drone strikes in Yemen.

US troops fire Patriot missiles in combat for first time since Iraq invaded to defend Abu Dhabi in 2003 Amid these attacks, the UAE has been hedging their reliance on U.S. military support as U.S. Withdraws Troops from Afghanistan.

But South Korea’s biggest project remains the Barakah nuclear power plant, Seoul’s first attempt to build an atomic reactor abroad. The $20 billion facility, which will eventually have four reactors and is located in the UAE’s western desert near the Saudi border, will one day account for nearly a quarter of all the country’s electricity needs.

It is also key to the UAE’s plan to become carbon neutral by 2050, a commitment that is particularly important because It prepares to host UN COP28 climate talks in Dubai in November.

Yoon may want to reassure the Emiratis that South Korea wants to engage in lucrative maintenance contracts after his predecessor, President Moon Jae-in, Has said Seoul wants to move away from nuclear energy.

Analyst Parker said there was a “180-degree turn in energy policy” after the election. “So South Korea is now pro-nuclear, and I guess the Yoon administration wants to reassure the Emiratis that people aren’t worried about a policy shift or anything like that.”

And then there’s the nuclear tensions with North Korea. Former top prosecutor Yoon became president in May, promising to Pyongyang. until recent years, Hundreds of North Korean laborers believed to be working in UAE and other Gulf Arab statesproviding cash flow to Pyongyang as it tries to evade tougher sanctions over its nuclear program.

However, their numbers have plummeted as countries stopped renewing visas. A recent UN expert report did say that high-end camera gear bought in the UAE ended up in North Korea, while another mentioned a North Korean national living in Dubai who obtained foreign exchange through an online application by falsely stating his nationality.

The U.N. also said that as recently as 2021, it had information about gold smuggling by North Korean diplomats in Iran aboard the Dubai-based long-haul airline Emirates.

Follow Jon Gambrell on Twitter at www.twitter.com/jongambrellAP.