Deputy Minister Kang Hoon-sik, the presidential chief of staff, on the 16th delivered President Lee Jae-myung's personal letter to the president of the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
Kang said on Facebook that day, "I paid a courtesy call on UAE President Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan and personally delivered the president's personal letter expressing the intent to raise bilateral cooperation to the next level." Kang is visiting the Middle East as the presidential special envoy for strategic economic cooperation.
Kang said, "The president's first state visit will take place in the UAE on the coming Monday." He added, "We are preparing ways to produce tangible results in key cooperation areas such as artificial intelligence (AI), defense technology, energy, and logistics, and to expand into culture and halal food."
Kang said he met Khaldoon Khalifa Al Mubarak, Korea point person and special envoy who oversees Korea-UAE cooperation and Abu Dhabi Executive Affairs Authority chairman, as well as Sultan Al Jaber, Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) CEO and Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology. Kang also visited AI and advanced-technology investment firms established with investments by UAE sovereign wealth funds such as Mubadala.
Kang said, "Administrator Khaldoon showed he was earnest about this meeting by having attend the secretary of state, the minister in charge of AI and healthcare, and the secretary general of the Advanced Technology Research Council responsible for defense affairs." He added, "Afterward, Administrator Khaldoon personally invited me to his home for lunch, where we comfortably discussed what was needed."
Kang added, "We also confirmed the possibility that, in step with the shifting international landscape, the scope of cooperation between the two countries could expand across the board."