Chairman of the Joint Chiefs Visits 'Brother' UAE, "Thank You for Cooperation in Operation Promise"

Korea-UAE Seek to Develop 'Special Strategic Partnership'
Encouragement for Overseas Deployment Units Including Ark Unit and Cheonghae Unit

Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Kim Seung-gyeom visited the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and expressed his gratitude for the active support provided during the 'Promise Operation' to evacuate Korean nationals from Sudan last month.

According to the Joint Chiefs of Staff on the 15th, Chairman Kim visited the UAE and Oman over five days until that day. First, he met with Ahmed bin Tanoun Al Nahyan, Deputy Chief of Staff of the UAE, and on behalf of the Korean military, expressed his appreciation for the cooperation in the Promise Operation.

Kim Seung-gyeom, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Visits UAE ARC Unit [Photo by Joint Chiefs of Staff]

Earlier, after clashes began on the 15th of last month between government forces and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) rebel group in Sudan, North Africa, the Korean government launched the 'Promise Operation' to evacuate its nationals. At that time, the UAE proposed a land evacuation route based on excellent local intelligence, provided large buses during the movement, and even took charge of security. Notably, a message from Khaldoon Al Mubarak, Chairman of the Abu Dhabi Executive Council, to Foreign Minister Park Jin stating, "Your people are our people," drew significant attention.

Additionally, Chairman Kim discussed plans to strengthen the 'Special Strategic Partnership' between the UAE and Korea, as well as ways to enhance defense industry cooperation, and visited the deployed Aegis unit on site to encourage the troops.

Chief of Staff Kim Seung-gyeom Encourages Troops Searching for the Cheonghae Unit [Photo by Joint Chiefs of Staff]

Furthermore, Chairman Kim visited Oman to meet with the Secretary General of Defense and the Chief of Staff to explore ways to expand exchanges and cooperation. He also commended the Cheonghae Unit, which was rapidly dispatched to the waters near Sudan in case air travel was not feasible during the Promise Operation, for their excellent operational readiness. Currently, the Korean military has deployed about 1,000 troops to various units including the Hanbit Unit in South Sudan, the Dongmyeong Unit in Lebanon, the Aegis Unit in the UAE, and the Cheonghae Unit in the Somali waters, carrying out their missions.

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