President Lee Jae Myung (second from left) and his wife Kim Hea Kyung (left) are seen concluding their trip to United Arab Emirates in Abu Dhabi on Wednesday. (Yonhap)
President Lee Jae Myung (second from left) and his wife Kim Hea Kyung (left) are seen concluding their trip to United Arab Emirates in Abu Dhabi on Wednesday. (Yonhap)

President Lee Jae Myung continues his trip to the Middle East and Africa, ending his state visit to the United Arab Emirates and departing for Egypt on Wednesday.

Lee's official visit to the North African country will mark the 30th anniversary of diplomatic ties between South Korea and Egypt. It will be followed by stops in South Africa for the Group of 20 Summit and Turkey for a state visit, before returning to South Korea on Nov. 26.

High on Lee's agenda is Seoul’s diplomatic blueprint for the Middle East, to be unveiled during his speech at Cairo University, as well as his show of solidarity with Africa and the increased contribution to the continent's development, according to the presidential office.

Before departing from the UAE, where Lee has been since Monday, the Korean president hailed the two countries' ties in a Facebook post, writing that South Korea and the UAE will "embark on a journey together for the next century."

Burj Khalifa in Dubai of the United Arab Emirates is lit up with a display of South Korea's national flag on Tuesday. (Presidential office)
Burj Khalifa in Dubai of the United Arab Emirates is lit up with a display of South Korea's national flag on Tuesday. (Presidential office)

His post echoed remarks made during his summit with Emirati President Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan on Tuesday, where Lee said South Korea is "poised to cooperate with the UAE in a shared journey for the next 100 years."

Lee also said in his Facebook post that the two leaders "presented a shared willingness to advance the bilateral relations irreversibly and permanently, unperturbed by the external circumstances."

His remarks referenced a joint declaration adopted by the two leaders after the summit, which outlined the path for the development of the two countries in the vast fields of artificial intelligence technology, defense, civil nuclear energy, health care, water, education and cultural exchange.

Alongside the joint declaration, the public sectors of the two countries signed seven memoranda of understanding at a memorandum exchange ceremony.

President Lee Jae Myung (center, back) and his wife Kim Hea Kyung (left, back) meet with soldiers deployed to the United Arab Emirates, under the South Korean Army's special force known as Akh Unit, in Abu Dhabi, UAE, on Wednesday. (Yonhap)
President Lee Jae Myung (center, back) and his wife Kim Hea Kyung (left, back) meet with soldiers deployed to the United Arab Emirates, under the South Korean Army's special force known as Akh Unit, in Abu Dhabi, UAE, on Wednesday. (Yonhap)

The memoranda and the joint declaration mapped out plans for South Korea and the UAE to seek a higher level of collaboration beyond sales, especially by joining forces for defense exports and nuclear energy exports to third countries.

In the defense sector, the two countries will jointly develop defense technologies, establish a local manufacturing base in the UAE, and pursue defense sales in the Middle East, Africa, Europe and North America. According to the presidential office, the potential value of such contracts could reach a combined $15 billion.

South Korea and the UAE also highlighted the expansion of the so-called "Barakah Model," a framework that enables the joint entry into global civil nuclear energy markets. The model was named after the Barakah nuclear energy plant that, following a decadelong construction period, has been fully operational and covering one-fourth of the UAE's electricity needs since 2024.

For AI, the two countries will seek joint investment, development and export initiatives over the UAE's bid to build hyperscale AI data centers through infrastructure construction projects valued at a minimum of $20 billion, which the presidential office said is related to the Stargate Project in the UAE. The Stargate Project is an AI infrastructure project for US-based OpenAI, a company behind the generative AI-powered chatbot ChatGPT.

The two countries will also work to identify projects that cultivate cultural exchange, such as "UAE K-city" (working title), a hub designed to bring together Korean culture, food and business to advance from the UAE to third countries in the Middle East, Africa and Europe.

From left, clockwise: These photos show a falcon sculpture, traditional floral-shaped jewelry, and a handcrafted mother-of-pearl lacquered box, which President Lee Jae Myung gifted to the UAE's ruling family of Abu Dhabi during Lee's state visit to the UAE. (Presidential office)
From left, clockwise: These photos show a falcon sculpture, traditional floral-shaped jewelry, and a handcrafted mother-of-pearl lacquered box, which President Lee Jae Myung gifted to the UAE's ruling family of Abu Dhabi during Lee's state visit to the UAE. (Presidential office)

Lee wrapped up his three-day trip after his meeting in Abu Dhabi with Akh Unit of South Korean Army's special force deployed to the UAE.

During Lee's three-day trip, he received a warm welcome in the UAE. According to Lee's spokesperson Kim Nam-joon, Lee's entrance to the presidential palace of the UAE was greeted with a 21-gun salute, an aerobatic display by the UAE Air Force, and horse and camel parades.

Moreover, the UAE welcomed Lee's visit through illuminations in its major urban landmarks at night. According to the presidential office, landmark buildings such as Abu Dhabi National Oil Company headquarters, Mubadala Tower, Abu Dhabi Global Market and Hazza bin Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi, and the Burj Khalifa in Dubai were lit up with projected images of South Korea's national flag, Taegeukgi.

In return, Lee gifted a falcon sculpture to UAE President Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, traditional floral-shaped jewelry to his mother, Fatima bint Mubarak, and a handcrafted mother-of-pearl lacquered box to his wife, Salama bint Hamdan Al Nahyan, according to Lee's office.


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