Today's Edition
HALA AL KHAYAT (ABU DHABI)
The UAE and the Republic of Korea are celebrating over 40 years of a growing and successful strategic partnership, marked by significant advancements in political, economic, and cultural cooperation. Bilateral relations have been consistently strengthened by mutual interests and shared visions, receiving considerable attention from the leadership of both countries.
Reflecting their robust ties, President His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan hosted His Excellency Yoon Suk Yeol, President of the Republic of Korea, in January 2023, underscoring the continuous progress and commitment to furthering the partnership.
The ongoing collaboration between the UAE and Korea is set to enhance the bilateral framework, paving the way for future joint ventures and exchanges that align with the common goals of both nations.
Strategic Partnership
The UAE holds a unique strategic partnership with Korea, being the first country in the Middle East to enjoy this type of exceptional partnership. This has enhanced cooperation between the two countries in various fields, most notably the economy, politics, food security, healthcare, culture, government administration, space, energy, and tourism. The UAE and Korea have provided a distinguished model of bilateral relations, a model based on enhancing international cooperation in development, addressing challenges, and sharing expertise and best practices across different fields.
Diplomatic Relations
Diplomatic relations between the UAE and Korea officially began on June 18, 1980. Since then, the relationship has seen remarkable development, with relations elevated to a “strategic partnership” in 2009, and then to a “special strategic partnership” in 2018. These relations have expanded to include all areas of cooperation on political, economic, cultural, and other levels. The qualitative development in the bilateral relations between the UAE and Korea is attributed to the leadership’s commitment in both countries to support and develop these relations.
Reciprocal Visits
The relationship between the two countries has reached a special level of strategic relations, reinforced by historic visits between the leaderships, reflecting the commitment of the UAE and Korea to developing their relations and maintaining effective communication and continuous connection to provide opportunities for cooperation in various fields. The numerous reciprocal visits at the leadership and senior official levels have played an important role in strengthening these relations. Notable visits by the UAE leadership include those by President His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan in June 2006, May 2010, March 2012, February 2014, and February 2019. From the Korean side, including the January 2023 visit, notable visits are those by former President Roh Moo-hyun in May 2006, former President Lee Myung-bak in December 2009, March 2011, February 2012, and November 2012, former President Park Geun-hye in May 2014 and March 2015, and President Moon Jae-in in March 2018.
Dialogue and High-Level Meetings
These relations have been strengthened through dialogue and high-level meetings between the two sides, including strategic dialogue between the Ministries of Foreign Affairs, the 2+2 meeting between the Ministries of Foreign Affairs and Defence, high-level consultations on nuclear cooperation, joint economic committee meetings, as well as through the signing of numerous agreements and memorandums of understanding (MoUs) in various fields of cooperation.
Agreements and MoUs
The strong relationship between the UAE and Korea has seen the signing of many agreements and MoUs over the years in various sectors, most notably defence, oil, education, and health. The agreement to establish the Barakah Nuclear Energy Plant, a peaceful nuclear energy plant, in 2009 is one of the key milestones in the bilateral relations between the UAE and Korea. The project successfully completed the operation of its first reactor units in August 2020, despite the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic. Construction work on the plant began in July 2012 after obtaining a construction license from the Federal Authority for Nuclear Regulation and a No Objection Certificate from the Environment Agency – Abu Dhabi. When fully operational, the four Barakah plants’ reactor units will produce 25% of the UAE’s electricity consumption and reduce carbon emissions by 21 million tonnes annually, equivalent to removing 3.2 million cars from the UAE’s roads each year.
Health Cooperation
The UAE and Korea have signed numerous MoUs and agreements in the health and medical fields, covering programmes for medical evaluation and licensing, hospital management, and the exchange of medical expertise, in addition to exchanging expertise in medical education. Many specialised Korean health companies manage major hospitals in the UAE, given Korea’s reputable standing in medical care and the advanced technologies used in healthcare and customer care services. Last year, Abu Dhabi enhanced cooperation with Korea by signing an MoU between the Department of Health – Abu Dhabi, Abu Dhabi Public Health Centre, and the Korea Health Industry Development Institute. This MoU aims to enhance cooperation in life sciences logistics and biotechnology industries, including exploring opportunities to position Abu Dhabi as a logistics hub for exporting life sciences, pharmaceuticals, and healthcare products from Korea, and supporting the development and investment in life sciences companies in the UAE.
Joint Efforts and Training
The cooperation between the two countries also includes various partnership avenues in clinical research, public health enhancement, disease prevention, and innovation in life sciences, among other areas of mutual interest. It also includes launching training and educational initiatives in partnership with renowned teaching hospitals in both countries, offering training and educational opportunities for doctors, dentists, nurses, and allied health professionals. The cooperation also involves identifying and monitoring collaborative research projects, including vaccine development, epidemiological studies, and new diagnostic methods.
Shared Values
The UAE and Korea share common values and experiences in comprehensive development. In 2020, the UAE’s Ministry of Culture and Korea’s Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism collaborated to launch the UAE-Korea Cultural Dialogue as a celebration marking the 40th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the countries, a new chapter in the history of bilateral relations and a testament to their commitment to celebrating arts and culture. Additionally, the Korean Cultural Centre in the UAE, inaugurated in 2016, stands as an important institution for cultural diplomacy. The Korean culture is warmly welcomed and eagerly embraced by Emirati society, which seeks to learn more about it, especially through the annual Korean Festival in Abu Dhabi, organised by the Korean Cultural Centre since 2013. Zayed University also sees a growing interest from students in learning the Korean language at the King Sejong Institute, additionally the university’s Korean Club, offers students an opportunity to learn about Korean history and culture.
