(MENAFN- Khaleej Times)

The UAE and South Korea have issued a joint declaration during South Korean President Lee Jae Myung 's current visit to Abu Dhabi, where he met with President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan.

Dubbed "a new leap toward a shared journey for the next century between the Republic of Korea and the United Arab Emirates”, the joint statement included agreement on expanding cooperation across multiple strategic sectors, including AI, semiconductors, civil nuclear energy, defence technology, water, public health, and education.

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The two countries also committed to strengthening water innovation ahead of the 2026 UN Water Conference, improving healthcare links through a proposed Pre-Post Care Center and a K-Medical Cluster, and boosting educational exchanges through training, talent development, and youth programmes.

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In national defence, the partnership will go beyond weapons sales to include joint development, technology collaboration, and localised production. The two countries stressed the importance of knowledge-transfer and capacity-building programmes to support long-term defence capabilities.

The two countries will strengthen cooperation in civil nuclear energy by working together on nuclear fuel, maintenance, and digital transformation to ensure stable operations at the Barakah Nuclear Energy Plant. They also plan to expand the Barakah model internationally through a joint framework that supports entry into global markets.

Both sides aim to advance clean-energy goals by collaborating on next-generation nuclear technologies, using AI tools to improve plant efficiency and safety, and continuing joint efforts on training, capacity building, and regulatory development. They also intend to lay the groundwork for nuclear energy projects in third countries.

Stargate project

Seoul has also agreed to work with the UAE on the US-backed Stargate project to build a massive new artificial intelligence data campus in the Gulf country, Seoul said on Tuesday.

Stargate UAE is part of a deal brokered by US President Donald Trump to build the world's largest set of AI data centres outside the United States.

The first phase of that project will be the 1-gigawatt Stargate UAE project, built by state-backed UAE firm G42 in partnership with US firms OpenAI, Oracle, Nvidia and Cisco Systems, as well as Japan's SoftBank Group.

The joint statement issued by the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Mofa) stated that the UAE and South Korea will actively explore concrete projects for cooperation in the field of AI and semiconductors. They also plan to initiate a high-level inter-ministerial dialogue channel to deepen cooperation in responsible AI governance, cyber security and semiconductor ecosystem resilience and to expand shared efforts in the field of AI.

K-city in UAE?

As part of a host of collaborations between the two countries across various fields, the UAE and South Korea are planning to establish a hub that will serve as a one-stop destination for all things Korean, from culture to food, and even business.

The 'K-City' project 's goal is position the UAE as the Middle Eastern centre for cultural contact with South Korea-an ambition for which the groundwork has already been laid.

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