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Korea, UAE sign deals on AI, space, nuclear power as leaders hold summit

Published: 18 Nov. 2025, 19:50 Updated: 21 Nov. 2025, 11:19

SARAH KIM
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President Lee Jae Myung, left, and United Arab Emirates (UAE) President Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan inspect an honor guard at an official welcoming ceremony at the presidential palace in Abu Dhabi on Nov. 18, ahead of their bilateral summit. [JOINT PRESS CORPS]

Korean President Lee Jae Myung and United Arab Emirates (UAE) President Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan agreed in a bilateral summit on Tuesday to expand cooperation not only in defense, nuclear power and energy, but also in AI and other advanced technologies.

During the summit, Korea and the UAE signed seven memorandums of understanding (MOUs) on building a strategic AI cooperation framework, AI, space, the administration and operation of the 2024 Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA), biohealth, intellectual property and new nuclear power technology, according to the presidential office.

Earlier, Lee was greeted in an official welcoming ceremony, complete with an honor guard, at the presidential palace in Abu Dhabi, before heading into the bilateral summit, which lasted 57 minutes. The two leaders later attended a ceremony for the MOU signing and held a working luncheon.

"Based on our unwavering trust, respect and a spirit of brotherhood, I hope that our relations will develop steadily and steadfastly, regardless of any changes in the diplomatic situation in the future," Lee said as the two leaders opened their summit talks.

"In addition to the four existing core areas of cooperation — investment, defense industry, nuclear power and energy — the two countries have agreed to expand cooperation into future-oriented, cutting-edge technologies, including AI, health care and culture," Lee said.

Lee further stressed that "Korea and the UAE must move beyond being brother nations and develop into an economic community."

He noted that the "cooperative relationship between our two countries is clearly evident when looking at the Barakah nuclear power plant project and the Akh Unit." The Akh Unit is a Korean special forces contingent deployed to the UAE to train their counterparts in the Gulf state.

Last year, a Korean consortium completed construction of the fourth reactor unit of the UAE's Barakah nuclear power plant, after winning a $20 billion contract to build the country's first nuclear power plant in 2009.

President Lee Jae Myung, left, and United Arab Emirates (UAE) President Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan hold their bilateral summit at the presidential palace in Abu Dhabi on Nov. 18, as the Korean leader makes a three-day state visit to the country. [JOINT PRESS CORPS]

"I hope that this visit will serve as an opportunity to broaden, deepen and specialize the cooperative relationship between our two countries," Lee said.

The two countries upgraded bilateral ties to a "special strategic partnership" in 2018.

Lee also called for combining Korea's and the UAE's capabilities to jointly conduct research and production and to expand into third-country markets.

"Korea is a country that achieved both industrialization and democratization through human resources alone," Lee said.

He further lauded the UAE's future-focused strategy, noting the Middle Eastern country "is leading the world by reducing its dependence on oil and boldly investing in renewable energy, nuclear power, advanced technology and AI."

During the talks, Lee noted that the UAE, despite being the world's sixth-largest oil producer, is achieving remarkable growth without relying solely on its petroleum reserves. Pointing to the UAE Centennial 2071, the Gulf state's comprehensive, long-term vision to become "a world-class nation" to mark the country's 100th anniversary, Lee said Seoul is "ready to be a key partner in this great journey."

Lee said that, in the future, he expects the UAE to "become a new center going beyond being a hub linking Europe, the Middle East and Africa."

Korea and the UAE signed a framework agreement on strategic AI collaboration, the presidential office said.

Through such cooperation, Korea will participate in the Stargate UAE project to build a massive new AI data campus in the country, Ha Jung-woo, presidential secretary for AI policy and future planning, said in a briefing later Tuesday.

The U.S.-backed Stargate initiative is a joint venture between OpenAI, Oracle and Softbank that has expanded to help build an AI campus with a 5-gigawatt capacity in Abu Dhabi to become the first country outside the United States where the project will be implemented.

The initial investment by global companies is estimated to have exceeded 30 trillion won ($26.5 billion), Ha said.

Ha Jung-woo, left, presidential secretary of AI policy and future planning, explains the results of President Lee Jae Myung's summit with UAE President Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan in a press briefing in Abu Dhabi on Nov. 18. [YONHAP]

Under the new agreement, Korea and the UAE will cooperate on AI investment and infrastructure, expanding supply chains and power generation. They will also work towards joint AI research and development, including exchange of experts.

The two countries also agreed to cooperate on developing new technologies, including small modular reactors and the integration of AI into nuclear power plants.

They also discussed ways to expand cooperation in the defense industry, Kang Hoon-sik, presidential chief of staff, said during the joint briefing, which includes an opportunity to secure contracts for defense export projects worth more than $15 billion.

“We will move beyond a simple export structure and actively pursue joint development and local production,” Kang said, as well as the export of weapons systems to third countries.

The presidential office said that economic benefits from the defense industry and AI sectors could ultimately reach a combined $35 billion.

On Monday, President Lee and first lady Kim Hea Kyung arrived in Abu Dhabi for a three-day state visit to the UAE, the first leg of a four-country trip which includes attending the G20, or Group of 20, summit in South Africa.

The Taegeukgi, South Korea’s national flag, illuminates the Abu Dhabi Global Market building in the United Arab Emirates during President Lee Jae-myung's state visit on Nov. 17. [PRESIDENTIAL OFFICE]

As Lee's presidential jet entered UAE airspace, it was escorted by four UAE Air Force fighters — two U.S.-made F16s and two French-made Mirage 2000s — in a show of highest respect, according to the presidential office.

The UAE adopted these two fighter models in the late 1990s and early 2000s, but has made replacing these aged jets with next-generation aircraft a key defense priority. The UAE has shown interest in Korea's KF-21 supersonic fighter jets, sparking speculation about potential defense industry procurements.

Lee is the second Korean president to make a state visit to the UAE after diplomatic relations were established in 1980. Former President Yoon Suk Yeol made the first state visit in 2023.

This marks Lee's first trip to the Middle East and his first state visit since taking office in June.

In a written interview with the UAE's Aletihad newspaper published Tuesday, Lee said he hopes his state visit will lay the foundation for a "new centennial phase" in bilateral ties by expanding cooperation beyond traditional sectors, such as trade, the defense industry, nuclear power and energy, and into future-oriented fields.

He said he hopes the two countries will expand ties beyond their current four key sectors — investment, defense, nuclear power plants and energy — to encompass future-oriented sectors, such as AI, health care and culture, to "lay the foundation for a new leap forward toward a century of partnership."

Update, Nov. 18: Story updated with details of presidential officials' press briefing.

BY SARAH KIM [[email protected]]