Moon's visit to Saudi Arabia proceeds without incident

Korean President Moon Jae-in, left, and Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman chat after holding a summit meeting and luncheon Tuesday at the Al-Yamamah palace in Riyadh. [BLUE HOUSE]

Korean President Moon Jae-in and Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman Tuesday agreed to cooperate to promote the use of hydrogen as an alternative energy source during a meeting amid heightened tensions in the Middle East.

The two sides discussed "substantive ways to further expand the horizon of cooperation between the two countries," said Park Kyung-mee, the Blue House spokesperson, going beyond oil, infrastructure construction and into such promising fields as hydrogen, nuclear power plants, defense, intellectual property and medicine.

Moon arrived in Riyadh Tuesday, the second leg in an eight-day trip to the region, and held a summit with the de factor Saudi ruler at the Al-Yamamah palace.

The two countries signed memoranda of understanding (MOU) to jointly develop so-called green hydrogen and enable Korea to secure supplies of hydrogen and ammonia from Saudi Arabia. Korea will also be able to help the Saudis use hydrogen-powered cars and hydrogen fueling stations.

Combining Korea's hydrogen utilization capacity with Saudi Arabia's hydrogen production capacity could helping the two countries' efforts to achieve net-zero carbon emissions, according to the Blue House.

During the talks with the prince, Moon said he "strongly condemned" Houthi rebels' seizure of an Emirati-flagged cargo vessel, along with 11 crew members, in the Red Sea earlier this month.

The Iran-backed Houthi militia in Yemen staged a drone strike Monday on Abu Dhabi that killed three people during Moon's visit to the United Arab Emirates (UAE), the first leg of his Middle East tour. He was in Dubai Monday.

The Saudi led-coalition fighting in Yemen immediately launched airstrikes on the Yemeni rebel-held capital. The coalition, which the UAE supports, has been fighting the Houthis for nearly seven years in Yemen, and tensions have intensified over the past few weeks.

Moon, according to his spokesperson Park, said, "The Houthi rebels' seizure [of the UAE vessel] is an act that threatens peace and stability in the Middle East, as well as one that impedes upon the freedom of navigation and international trade in the region."

He added, "I hope that the detained crew members and vessel will be released and returned safely."

Due to a request from the Emirati side, Moon's meeting with Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed Al-Nahyan, the de facto ruler of the UAE, scheduled for Monday was canceled just ahead of his arrival, and the two leaders held a phone call instead.

This was the first trip for a Korean president to Saudi Arabia in seven years. The crown prince made a visit to Korea in June 2019, the first by a Saudi heir to the throne in 21 years.

Korea and Saudi Arabia mark the 60th anniversary of diplomatic ties this year.

During the talks, Moon noted Saudi Arabia's "Vision 2030" policy, aimed at reducing the nation's dependence on oil and diversifying into new sectors, said the Blue House. Moon pushed for concrete ways to work together in science and technology, artificial intelligence (AI), health care and digital technology.

Moon said he expects more Korean companies to participate in the construction of the Neom smart city, Saudi Arabia's megacity project, and hopes that Saudi businesspeople will likewise expand their investments in Korea.

The Saudi crown prince said he has high expectations for Korea's participation in Saudi Arabia's Vision 2030 policy.

Moon said he appreciates the role of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), a six-nation regional coalition headquartered in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, in keeping peace and prosperity in the Middle East. The crown prince said he plans to work toward regional stability and also supported Moon's vision of establishing peace on the Korean Peninsula.

The GCC is comprised of Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE, and Korea is working toward a free trade agreement with the regional coalition.

These countries account for 68 percent of South Korea's crude oil imports.

Moon and first lady Kim Jung-sook were received by the crown prince in person upon their arrival at Saudi Arabia's King Khalid International Airport from Dubai earlier Tuesday for a two-day visit.

Moon later delivered a keynote speech at a Korea-Saudi business forum on "smart innovation growth" and said that the two countries can work together in the the areas of clean energy, construction and healthcare.

He stressed that cooperation in hydrogen will be key.

"By combining Saudi Arabia's potential to produce clean hydrogen such as green and blue hydrogen with South Korea's utilization and distribution capacity, the two countries will lead the hydrogen economy," Moon said at the forum.

He also met Yasir al-Rumayyan, chairman of Aramco, the state-owned Saudi Arabian oil giant.

During Moons' visit, the two sides signed agreements on areas including intellectual property, educational cooperation, shipbuilding, the export of Korea's Dr. Answer AI technology used for medical big data, and establishing a tire joint venture between Korea's Kumho Tire and Saudi Arabia's Black Arrow Tire.

As to a question on Moon's safety on his trip amid instability in the region, a key Blue House official said, "It proceeded as planned as it was scheduled a long time before."

Moon will make a two-day state visit to Egypt Thursday, the last leg of the three-country trip to the Middle East.

BY SARAH KIM [kim.sarah@joongang.co.kr]