'K-Defense' Special Envoy Kang Hoonshik to Visit UAE This Week for Defense Export Cooperation Talks

Expected to Meet High-Level Officials as "Special Envoy for Strategic Economic Cooperation"
Visited Poland, Romania, and Norway Last Month

Presidential Chief of Staff Kang Hoonshik will visit the United Arab Emirates (UAE) this week. Appointed as the "Special Envoy for Strategic Economic Cooperation" by President Lee Jaemyung, Kang has recently visited Poland, Romania, and Norway in succession, delivering President Lee's personal letters and discussing cooperation in the defense industry sector.

Yonhap News

An official from the Office of the President stated on the 10th, "Chief of Staff Kang will visit the UAE to discuss cooperation in the defense industry sector." Kang is expected to meet with high-ranking UAE officials to discuss defense industry cooperation, including weapons procurement. The UAE is a major importer of Korean weaponry and, in 2022, signed a contract worth 4 trillion won for the Korean ballistic missile interception system, Cheongung-II.

On October 31, the first day of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit in Gyeongju, President Lee held a bilateral meeting with Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of the UAE, building consensus on strengthening cooperation. Chief of Staff Kang was also present at this meeting. At the Gyeongju HwaBaek Convention Center, President Lee emphasized to Crown Prince Khaled, "The UAE is the only country in the Middle East that has established a special strategic partnership with the Republic of Korea."

President Lee remarked, "Gyeongju is the very place that engaged in exchanges with Islam about a thousand years ago," and added, "The UAE is a strong traditional ally of Korea, and I hope that Crown Prince Khaled's visit to Korea will further advance the relationship between Korea and the UAE." In response, Crown Prince Khaled said, "I convey the special regards of President Mohamed of the UAE to President Lee," and added, "The relationship between Korea and the UAE is extremely special and important to us, across various fields."

On October 23, as the Special Envoy for Strategic Economic Cooperation, Chief of Staff Kang visited Norway following Poland and Romania, delivered the President's personal letters, and then returned to Korea. Kang stated that, with the changing security environment, European countries are increasingly introducing defense industry products, making this an opportune time for Korean defense companies to enter the European market and establish new growth bases.

He added, "I conveyed the government's strong commitment to broad support, including financial assistance, technological cooperation, and collaboration with defense industry startups," and emphasized, "We will make every effort to support our companies in achieving tangible results in entering the defense industry market."

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