President Lee Jae Myung's chief of staff is set to depart for the United Arab Emirates on Thursday for a trip aimed at discussing expanding bilateral economic cooperation, presidential officials said.
Kang Hoon-sik, who also serves as a special envoy for strategic economic cooperation, is expected to meet senior UAE officials to discuss ways to deepen economic cooperation in areas of defense, artificial intelligence and other advanced technologies.
"Kang plans to discuss ways to establish a strategic economic cooperation model with a key partner nation in the Middle East, covering AI, defense industry and cutting-edge manufacturing, culture, food and bio sectors," a presidential official said, without providing details of his itinerary.
His trip comes after President Lee Jae Myung met with Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Khalid bin Mohamed Al Nahyan on Oct. 31 on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in South Korea, where they discussed ways to expand defense and arms industry cooperation. Kang also attended the meeting.
The UAE, one of South Korea's major defense partners, signed a contract in 2022 to purchase the Cheongung II midrange surface-to-air missile system.
Last month, Kang visited Poland, Romania and Norway in his capacity as a special envoy, delivering Lee's personal letters and holding talks with senior officials of those countries on expanding arms industry partnerships. (Yonhap)
