Abu dhabi: President Lee Jae Myung's chief of staff announced his visit to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to explore economic partnerships in defense, artificial intelligence (AI), and nuclear energy sectors.

According to Yonhap News Agency, Kang Hoon-sik, the presidential chief of staff, embarked on a three-day trip as the president's special envoy for strategic economic cooperation. Kang expressed his intent to enhance collaboration in defense, AI, nuclear energy, and cultural industries. He emphasized the goal of leveraging South Korea's technology and UAE's capital to access third-country markets.

Kang's agenda includes follow-up discussions with UAE officials, building on President Lee's previous meetings with UAE President Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan in November and Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Khalid bin Mohamed Al Nahyan during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in October.

The visit follows the recent trip of Khaldoon Khalifa Al Mubarak, chairman of Abu Dhabi's Executive Affairs Authority, to South Korea, where he met with President Lee. Their discussions focused on advancing bilateral defense industry cooperation.

The UAE, a significant defense partner for South Korea, previously signed a 2022 contract to acquire the Cheongung II mid-range surface-to-air missile system.