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| ▲ President Yoon Suk Yeol (C) claps as he meets troops of the Akh unit, a South Korean military contingent in the United Arab Emirates, with first lady Kim Keon Hee (L), on Jan. 15, 2023. (Yonhap) |
S Korea-UAE-defense MOU
S. Korea, UAE sign MOU for strategic arms industry cooperation
SEOUL, Jan. 16 (Yonhap) -- South Korea and the United Arab Emirates have signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) on "strategic" defense industry cooperation, Seoul's arms procurement agency said Monday in a sign of deepening bilateral security ties.
Seoul's Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) and the UAE's Tawazun Council in charge of the country's arms procurement inked the MOU in Abu Dhabi on Sunday, in the presence of President Yoon Suk Yeol and UAE President Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan who met for a summit in the country.
Under the pact, the two sides will continue efforts for joint investment, research and technological development to further develop bilateral cooperation in the arms industry, it said.
"This MOU solidifies the 'special strategic partnership' between South Korea and the UAE, and is expected to contribute to enhancing substantive defense industry cooperation between the respective defense acquisition agencies," it said.
Based on the trust between the two sides, DAPA added that it expects to expand Seoul's efforts to export air defense systems.
In January last year, the UAE signed a deal to purchase the Cheongung II mid-range surface-to-air missile system, a core element of South Korea's multilayered anti-missile program. Cheongung means heaven's bow in Korean.
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