President Yoon Suk Yeol paid a visit on Monday to the Barakah Nuclear Power Plant in the Al Dhafra region of Abu Dhabi, a symbol of cooperation between South Korea and the United Arab Emirates(UAE).

In the visit with UAE President Sheik Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Yoon said that the Barakah plant carries important symbolic meaning as a representation of the special strategic partnership between the two nations.

President Yoon expressed hope that his state visit will provide a turning point for the two countries to seek comprehensive and strategic cooperation in other energy areas beyond the nuclear sector such as hydrogen and renewable energy as well as carbon capture, utilization, and storage.

South Korea won the Barakah power plant project in 2009, becoming the first reactor to be exported by the country and the first nuclear power plant in the Middle East. Units One and Two are in operation, while Unit Three is ready and Unit Four is due for completion next year.

Yoon celebrated the commencement of operations of Unit Three in the visit on Monday while checking progress on the construction of Unit Four.

The president reportedly said that based on the success of Barakah, South Korea and the UAE should join forces to produce more achievements, such as additional nuclear power plants in the UAE and joint expansion overseas.

Source: KBS World Radio