Bin Salman "Deep gratitude to President Yoon for his generous hospitality"

"Strengthening Bilateral Cooperation in All Fields"

Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman of Saudi Arabia is shaking hands with President Yoon Suk-yeol before leaving after completing a meeting and luncheon conversation at the presidential residence in Hannam-dong, Yongsan, Seoul on the 17th.

Mohammed bin Salman, the de facto ruler of Saudi Arabia, expressed his gratitude to President Yoon Suk-yeol, Saudi state news agency SPA reported on the 17th (local time).

According to SPA, Crown Prince bin Salman stated in a telegram sent to President Yoon as he left Seoul, "I would like to express my deep thanks to President Yoon for welcoming me and my delegation and treating us generously."

Crown Prince bin Salman emphasized, "Through our dialogue, we have strengthened the strong relationship between our two countries and confirmed our shared desire to enhance cooperation in all fields in a way that serves the interests of both our peoples within the framework of the 'Korea-Saudi Vision 2030.'"

He added, "I wish President Yoon good health and happiness," and "I hope Korea and its kind people continue to develop and prosper."

Crown Prince bin Salman arrived in Seoul at 12:30 a.m. Korean time via Seoul Airport and stayed for about 20 hours until departing around 8:30 p.m., meeting with key figures from Korea's political and business circles.

He was invited as the first official guest to the presidential residence in Hannam-dong, Seoul, where President Yoon and his wife had moved in ten days earlier, spending about three hours together and sharing intentions to cooperate in energy, defense industry, infrastructure, and construction sectors.

Later, at a tea meeting held at the Lotte Hotel in Sogong-dong in the afternoon, eight heads of Korea's top 20 conglomerates attended, including Samsung Electronics Chairman Lee Jae-yong, SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won, Hyundai Motor Group Chairman Chung Eui-sun, Hanwha Solutions Vice Chairman Kim Dong-kwan, Hyundai Heavy Industries Group President Chung Ki-sun, CJ Group Chairman Lee Jae-hyun, Doosan Group Chairman Park Jung-won, and DL Group Chairman Lee Hae-wook. They extensively discussed various cooperation plans centered on the NEOM City project, with a total project cost of $500 billion (approximately 670 trillion won).

Crown Prince bin Salman was scheduled to visit Japan this weekend following his visit to Korea, but foreign media reported that his Japan trip was suddenly canceled after he departed Korea, and his meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Kishida Fumio was also called off.

Meanwhile, Crown Prince and Prime Minister bin Salman is known as "Mr. Everything," possessing both power and wealth. Overseas media often refer to him by his English initials, "MBS."

Although exact figures are not confirmed, his fortune is estimated to range from 1,400 trillion won to as much as 2,500 trillion won. The sovereign wealth fund (PIF) he leads manages assets worth 700 trillion won.

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