Chief of Staff Kang Hoon-sik Meets UAE's Khaldoon Al Mubarak, Accelerating the Substantive Implementation of $65 Billion in Defense, AI and Other Cooperation

[Financial News] Kang Hoon-sik, Chief of Staff to the President of the Republic of Korea, met with Khaldoon Al Mubarak, Chairman of the Abu Dhabi Executive Council, to fully develop mega-scale economic cooperation projects worth a total of $65 billion, spanning defense, artificial intelligence (AI) and nuclear power.
Kang Hoon-sik said on X, formerly Twitter, on the 19th that he had held a luncheon and a Korea-UAE performance review meeting with Khaldoon Al Mubarak in Seoul the previous day, the 18th, to assess progress on the cooperation projects promised by the two countries.
The meeting followed up on the economic cooperation set in motion by President Lee Jae-myung's first state visit to the UAE after taking office last November. As the designated officials and special envoys responsible for bilateral cooperation, Kang Hoon-sik and Khaldoon Al Mubarak have continued reciprocal visits while leading cooperation worth a total of $65 billion, including $35 billion in defense and $30 billion in investment cooperation.
The focus of the meeting was the "substantive implementation" of the agreements through sector-specific working groups. Kang Hoon-sik explained, "We discussed in depth ways to advance defense cooperation without disruption and strengthen our strategic security partnership, while expanding joint investment and technological cooperation in advanced strategic industries such as AI, space and nuclear power."
Kang Hoon-sik also expressed his special gratitude for the UAE's active support with resources amid the recent deterioration in the Middle East situation. When concerns that the Strait of Hormuz could be blocked threatened South Korea's crude oil supply, the UAE took steps to make 2 million barrels of crude oil stored for South Korea immediately available and gave priority to supplying crude oil to South Korean tankers near its ports.
Referring to their reunion six months after his visit to Abu Dhabi last March, Kang Hoon-sik said, "As the saying goes, 'A friend in need is a friend indeed,' the two countries joined hands even more firmly in a moment of crisis."
He emphasized, "The most powerful force driving relations between our two countries is ultimately deep trust," and added, "I will build on the trust we demonstrated by standing by each other in difficult times, and make sure that our 'century-long journey together' becomes a tangible achievement felt in the lives of our people." 

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