South Korean President Lee Jae Myung and United Arab Emirates (UAE) President Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan agreed to deepen bilateral cooperation in artificial intelligence (AI), the defense industry and energy sectors during their talks in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday, Lee’s office said.
Lee described the UAE as a “brotherly nation” and pledged to build a stronger relationship that is aligned with the Middle Eastern nation’s long-term development roadmap, dubbed UAE Centennial Plan 2071, in a bid to become its key partner.
“The Republic of Korea is ready for comprehensive cooperation to build a century-old companionship with the UAE,” Lee said, referring to South Korea’s official name. “There are many important areas, including security, the defense industry, AI, nuclear energy, health care and medical services. I hope the two countries make bold steps toward shared prosperity.”
Mohammed welcomed Lee’s decision to choose the UAE as the first destination for his first visit to the Middle East since taking office in June.
He noted that the Barakah nuclear power plant, the UAE’s first nuclear power plant, has become a cornerstone of bilateral cooperation and expressed hope to expand collaboration in science and technology, including AI and the aerospace sector.
He also took note of the Akh Unit, the South Korean military contingent stationed in the UAE, and said he looks forward to deepening cooperation in related areas.
The presidential office said the summit laid the ground for deepening the two countries’ cooperation in strategic areas, including AI, the defense industry and energy sectors.
“The two leaders agreed to elevate security and defense industry cooperation to a more strategic level, expanding it to joint production and technology collaboration based on solid mutual trust and to continue sustainable cooperation,” presidential spokesperson Kim Nam-jun said in a briefing.
Kang Hoon-sik, Lee’s chief of staff, said the summit raised the prospects of Korean companies securing more than US$15 billion in defense contracts and paved the way for a joint entry into third-country markets. He did not elaborate on details.
In the energy sector, the two leaders agreed to build on the momentum from the Barakah nuclear energy plant, the UAE nuclear power plant built by the state-run Korea Electric Power Corp, Kim said. The plant is now fully operational 12 years after construction, and supplies a quarter of the UAE’s electricity.
“The two nations agreed to jointly develop a cooperation model for entering the global markets based on the Barakah nuclear power plant model,” the spokesperson said.
They also shared understanding on the need for joint investment, development and marketing in the AI sector, and discussed ways to identify major cooperation projects that integrate the AI, energy and defense industries, he added.
During the summit, the two countries signed seven memorandums of understanding to expand bilateral cooperation in advanced industries, including AI, nuclear energy, aerospace, health care and other sectors.
Under a framework agreement on strategic AI collaboration, South Korea will join the UAE’s Stargate project to jointly establish AI and energy infrastructure, Ha Jung-woo, presidential secretary for AI policy and future planning, told reporters
The UAE’s Stargate project aims to build a cluster of AI data centers in Abu Dhabi, beginning with a 200-megawatt facility set to come online next year as part of a planned 5-gigawatt AI campus. The initial investment by global companies’ initial investment is estimated at around 30 trillion won (US$20.5 billion), Ha said.
The leaders also agreed to establish “K-City” in the UAE as a platform for cooperation in cutting-edge technologies and cultural industries, with follow-up discussions to continue, according to Kang.
The anticipated economic benefits across the defense industry, AI and cultural sectors are estimated at around 150 trillion won, the presidential chief of staff said, emphasizing that the summit marks the beginning of an “economic alliance” between the two nations.
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