UAE President arrives in South Korea on state visit

UAE President His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan arrived in South Korea on Tuesday, where his plane was met by an honorary escort of four fighter jets before he landed for his first state visit to Asia's fourth-biggest economy.

Defence industry cooperation, business and investment, and energy initiatives are on the agenda for a summit scheduled for Wednesday with President Yoon Suk Yeol of South Korea.

The two will discuss deepening their "special strategic partnership," Yoon's office said in a statement.

Four F-15K Air Force fighter jets escorted Sheikh Mohamed's plane as it entered the South Korean defence identification zone and landed at a military airfield just south of the capital, Seoul, Yoon's office said.

The UAE President is reciprocating after Yoon's state visit to Abu Dhabi early last year, when the UAE pledged $30 billion in investment in South Korean businesses in areas spanning nuclear power, defence, hydrogen and solar energy.

On Tuesday, His Highness met the leaders of some of South Korea's top business conglomerates including Jay Y. Lee of Samsung Electronics, SK Group's Chey Tae-won and E.S. Chung of Hyundai Motor Group.

South Korea already has deep business ties with the UAE going back more than a decade, having previously won contracts to build nuclear reactors, including the Barakah Power Plant.

Posting on social media the UAE President said, “UAE-Korean relations are a distinguished model of positive and constructive relations, and the UAE is keen to expand its horizons for the benefit and development of the two countries.”

وصلت اليوم إلى سيئول، للقاء فخامة الرئيس يون سيوك يول وبحث سبل تطوير الشراكة الإستراتيجية الخاصة بين الإمارات وكوريا، وتعزيز التعاون الاقتصادي بما يتماشى مع رؤانا المشتركة بشأن مستقبل التنمية واستدامتها في بلدينا. العلاقات الإماراتية-الكورية نموذج متميز للعلاقات الإيجابية…

— محمد بن زايد (@MohamedBinZayed) May 28, 2024