[Gyeongju APEC] Lee Jaemyung Meets UAE Crown Prince: "Gyeongju Interacted with Islam a Thousand Years Ago"

Lee: "The UAE is the only partner of Korea in the Middle East"
Crown Prince Khalid: "I look forward to seeing you in the UAE in November"

President Lee Jaemyung welcomed Crown Prince Khalid bin Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), saying, "You may not know this, but Gyeongju is the very place that interacted with Islam a thousand years ago."

Yonhap News Agency

On the 31st, during a meeting between President Lee and Crown Prince Khalid held in Gyeongju, North Gyeongsang Province, where the 2025 Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit is taking place, President Lee made these remarks. He added, "The UAE is the only country in the Middle East that maintains a special strategic partnership with the Republic of Korea. The UAE has long been a strong traditional ally of Korea, and I hope that Your Highness's visit to Korea will further advance the relationship between our two countries."

Crown Prince Khalid responded, "The relationship between Korea and the UAE is very special and important to us, across many different fields." He continued, "The reason this relationship is so special is that it is built on trust. I look forward to welcoming you to the UAE in November, and as it will be your first visit since taking office, we will make sure you are received with the utmost hospitality."

The bilateral meeting was attended by Kang Hoonshik, Chief Presidential Secretary; Kim Yongbeom, Chief Presidential Secretary; Wi Sunglak, Director of the National Security Office; Kim Jeonggwan, Minister of Trade, Industry and Energy; and Ha Jeongwoo, Chief of AI Policy, on the Korean side. Representing the UAE were Al-Ketbi, Director of Protocol at the Crown Prince's Office; Al-Mheiri, Chairman of the Abu Dhabi Media Office; Al Mubarak, Head of the Abu Dhabi Administration; Al-Hajeri, Minister of State for Asia; Kobash, Chief of the Crown Prince's Office; and Al-Nuaimi, Ambassador to Korea.

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