청 "Preparing Measures to Encourage Troops During Middle East Tour"

President Moon's Middle East Tour of 3 Countries on the 15th... "Promoting Expo 2030 Busan, Encouraging K-pop Artists"

[Asia Economy Reporter Ryu Jeong-min] The Blue House announced on the 12th that it is preparing ways to encourage our troops stationed locally during President Moon Jae-in's visit to three Middle Eastern countries departing on the 15th. It also reported that schedules such as promoting the 2030 Busan World Expo and encouraging K-pop artists are being prepared.

A Blue House official, when asked about the possibility of President Moon visiting the 'Ark Unit' on the same day, said, "We are reviewing it considering the overall schedule and various circumstances, but the situation is not favorable," adding, "We are preparing ways to encourage the troops in any possible manner."

There is a plan to visit the promotional pavilion for the 2030 Busan World Expo. A Blue House official said, "The Korea Day event at the Dubai Expo itself is an activity to support the bid for the 2030 Busan World Expo," and added, "It is understood that during the visit to the Korea Excellent Products Exhibition, there is a plan to visit the ‘2030 Busan World Expo Bid Promotion Pavilion’ operated by Busan City."

The view of the Blue House from Namsan, Seoul. Photo by Hyunmin Kim kimhyun81@

The Blue House official added, "We plan to actively promote the bid targeting BIE member country leaders visiting Dubai, other country delegations, as well as foreign general visitors."

Furthermore, the Blue House official said, "We are also considering a brief visit for promoting the 2030 Busan World Expo and encouraging K-pop artists."

The Blue House refrained from commenting on the possibility of announcements related to defense exports and nuclear power plants. Regarding defense export achievements, a Blue House official said, "Disclosure of export achievements to Middle Eastern countries requires consultation with the counterpart countries and cannot be disclosed in advance; if consultations proceed, there will be an opportunity to speak again later."

Regarding the Egyptian nuclear power plant issue, the Blue House official also said, "On the 2nd, Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power (KHNP) announced that it was selected as the preferred negotiator for the second phase of the El Dabaa nuclear power plant construction project in Egypt, and that after negotiations on detailed conditions such as price, a formal contract is expected to be signed around April. There will be no separate announcement related to nuclear power plants during this visit."

The Blue House attached significance to hydrogen cooperation issues. A Blue House official said, "UAE and Saudi Arabia, which are actively promoting hydrogen energy production for carbon neutrality, and Korea, which has strengths in hydrogen utilization fields such as hydrogen vehicles and fuel cells, are complementary partners for the early realization of the hydrogen economy," adding, "It is expected that various collaborations between the government and the private sector in the hydrogen field will be realized through the visit."

Meanwhile, regarding former Blue House Chief of Staff Lim Jong-seok accompanying this visit, the Blue House explained, "Former Chief Lim, who has a special relationship with the UAE, including visiting as a presidential special envoy, is currently serving as the President’s Special Advisor for Foreign Affairs and National Security," and added, "He will accompany all three countries as an official member of the delegation and assist President Moon’s diplomatic activities."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.