Abu Dhabi City and Seoul Establish Sister City Relationship... Oh Se-hoon: "I Will Encourage Korean Companies to Play Energetically"

Mayor Oh Se-hoon Visits Abu Dhabi Department of Transport and Municipalities to Sign Sister City Agreement
Fourth Among Middle Eastern Countries... Cooperation in Transportation, Smart City, and Urban Development
MOU Signed with 'Abu Dhabi Music and Arts Foundation' for Museum and Art Gallery Exchange Exhibitions

The Seoul Metropolitan Government has signed a sister city agreement with Abu Dhabi. This move aims to expand cooperation and establish an exchange system in urban development fields such as smart cities. This is the fourth time Seoul has formed a sister city relationship with a Middle Eastern city, following Tehran (Iran, 2017), Muscat (Oman, 2018), and Tel Aviv (Israel, 2019).

On the afternoon of the 8th (local time), Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon visited the Abu Dhabi Department of Municipalities and Transport and signed the sister city agreement with Mohamed Ali Al Shorafa, Chairman of the Department of Municipalities and Transport, discussing detailed cooperation plans between the cities. At the meeting, Mayor Oh said, "Our President visited the UAE and started a special strategic partnership with a renewed spirit," adding, "I am truly pleased to have the opportunity to establish what is essentially the first relationship between our cities."

On the 8th (local time), Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon talks with officials ahead of signing a friendship agreement with Abu Dhabi City.
[Photo by Seoul City]

Mayor Oh has been actively working to attract investment to the UAE’s Abu Dhabi area, a center of oil money. Last August, he met with Khaldoon Khalifa Al Mubarak, Chairman of the Abu Dhabi Executive Office, to discuss mutual exchange and cooperation plans in the same context. In particular, through Invest Seoul, he held an IR event for promising Seoul companies together with Mubadala Capital and ADIO, major sovereign wealth funds in the UAE.

As part of these efforts, in Abu Dhabi, a memorandum of understanding was signed with Hub71, the largest tech startup support organization in Abu Dhabi, to strengthen personnel exchanges, policy cooperation, and support for Seoul companies’ entry into the Middle East and investment attraction. The support system enhancement for startup development between Abu Dhabi and Seoul, discussed during Mayor Oh’s visit to the UAE, is based on this foundation. Mayor Oh expects that through the sister city agreement with Abu Dhabi, a cooperative system will be established in various fields such as transportation, smart cities, and urban development, leading to mutual growth.

On the same day, Mohamed Ali Al Shorafa, Chairman of the Abu Dhabi Department of Municipalities and Transport, mentioned that numerous construction projects including electricity, water, bridges, and tunnels are planned in Abu Dhabi, and said, "I hope Korean construction companies will come in large numbers to this kind of playground." In response, Mayor Oh said, "It’s a playground that can pursue considerable profitability," adding, "When I return, I will tell Korean companies to come here and play enthusiastically."

Cooperation foundations have also been established in cultural fields beyond the economy. Mayor Oh signed a memorandum of understanding with the Abu Dhabi Music and Arts Foundation to expand cultural exchanges between Seoul and Abu Dhabi. The Abu Dhabi Music and Arts Foundation, established in 1996, is a leading cultural and artistic organization representing the UAE and the Middle East. Since 2004, it has successfully hosted the largest cultural festival in the Middle East, the Abu Dhabi Festival, introducing cultures from around the world to the Middle East.

Moreover, Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, the current UAE president’s maternal uncle and a patron of the Abu Dhabi Music Foundation, attended the signing ceremony. This confirmed the high expectations of the UAE royal family for expanding cultural exchanges between Abu Dhabi and Seoul. Currently, the Abu Dhabi Music and Arts Foundation has great interest in Korean culture and artists. Previously, the National Ballet Company, Korean Symphony Orchestra, and soprano Sumi Jo were invited to the 2019 Abu Dhabi Festival, and pianist Yunchan Lim’s performance in Abu Dhabi is scheduled for next year.

Starting with this agreement, the two cities plan to expand various cultural cooperation projects, including ▲exchange exhibitions between museums and art galleries of both cities ▲exchange and collaboration among artists supported by both cities ▲mutual invitation performances between Seoul city art groups and UAE art organizations. First, the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra will participate in 'Abu Dhabi Classics,' Abu Dhabi’s representative classical music festival, this coming November. Mayor Oh added, "Since the Abu Dhabi Music and Arts Foundation and Seoul have signed this memorandum of understanding, I hope that through diverse cultural exchanges and cooperation, both cities can establish themselves as global centers of culture and arts."

Meanwhile, Mayor Oh also attended the opening ceremony of the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) regional office of the World Smart Cities Organization (WeGO) held in Abu Dhabi. WeGO is an international organization of city governments established to promote sustainable urban development and bridge the digital divide through exchange and cooperation in smart city and e-government fields using ICT. WeGO’s headquarters are in Seoul, and its six regional offices located on different continents support the achievement of WeGO’s vision and mission based on cooperation systems tailored to regional characteristics. Mayor Oh stated, "I hope Seoul and Abu Dhabi can engage in closer exchanges and cooperate on smart city administration."

On the 8th (local time) in Abu Dhabi, Huda Al Kamis, Chairperson of the Canoe Abu Dhabi Music and Arts Foundation, and Oh Se-hoon, Mayor of Seoul, signed a business agreement (center: Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, UAE Minister of Tolerance and Coexistence).
[Photo by Seoul City]

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