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(ATTN: UPDATES with details of trip; CHANGES headline)
By Lee Haye-ah
SEOUL, Jan. 10 (Yonhap) — President Yoon Suk Yeol will visit the United Arab Emirates and Switzerland starting later this week to promote South Korean industries and support businesses’ expansion overseas, his office said Tuesday.
Yoon will pay a state visit to the UAE at the invitation of President Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan from Saturday to Tuesday, and then travel to Switzerland to attend the World Economic Forum in Davos on Jan. 18-19, national security adviser Kim Sung-han said during a press briefing.
President Yoon Suk Yeol speaks during a policy briefing by the welfare ministry, labor ministry, gender equality ministry, food and drug safety ministry, and the disease control and prevention agency at Cheong Wa Dae in Seoul on Jan. 9, 2023. (Yonhap)
Yoon will be the first leader of either South Korea or the UAE to pay a state visit to the other country since the establishment of bilateral diplomatic relations in 1980, according to Kim.
During the visit, Yoon will hold a summit with his UAE counterpart; visit the Akh unit, a South Korean military contingent; and the Barakah nuclear power plant built by South Korea.
Kim said the first state visit to the UAE demonstrates the two countries’ desire to upgrade their special strategic partnership to a higher level.
“Choosing the UAE for the first foreign trip of the year and the first visit to a country in the Middle East reflects President Yoon’s firm commitment to focusing our diplomacy on vitalizing the economy and increasing exports,” Kim said.
“Through this visit, we will drastically strengthen our strategic cooperation with the UAE, which is our brother nation, in the four core areas of nuclear power, energy, investment and the defense industry,” he said, noting several memorandums of understanding will be signed.
Yoon will be accompanied by a business delegation made up of officials from some 100 South Korean companies, supporting their expansion into the UAE and discussing possibilities for cooperation with UAE sovereign wealth funds.
Yoon and Mohamed took office around the same time last year, and have since exchanged letters and sent special envoys to each other’s nations, affirming their will to develop bilateral ties.
“By meeting in person and having in-depth talks, they will build a close relationship of trust,” Kim said. “This will become a very valuable asset for the development of South Korea-UAE relations going forward.”
On Jan. 17, Yoon will travel to Zurich, Switzerland, for a meeting with South Korean residents in the city before heading to Davos the next day for a meeting with CEOs of major global companies and to promote South Korea’s bid to host the 2030 World Expo.
In his meeting with the CEOs, Yoon will discuss ways the government and the private sector can work together to overcome the complex global crisis and ensure sustainable growth.
The CEOs will include Samsung Electronics Executive Chairman Lee Jae-yong, SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won and Hyundai Motor Group Chairman Chung Eui-sun from among chiefs of South Korean conglomerates, as well as the CEOs of Intel, IBM, Qualcomm, JP Morgan and Sony.
On Jan. 19, the president will give a special address at the World Economic Forum on ways the international community can work together to overcome the global economic crisis.
He will present ideas for international cooperation and solidarity for the strengthening of supply chains, the transition to clean energy and the construction of a digital order, while also stating South Korea’s role and commitment to achieving those goals.
Yoon will visit the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich the same day to meet with scholars, and discuss cooperation in science and technology.
He will return home Jan. 21.
hague@yna.co.kr
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