Opening New Horizons for Future Cooperation
Korea-UAE Business Roundtable

Held in conjunction with President Lee Jae Myung’s state visit, the meeting brought together senior leaders representing both governments and corporate sectors to discuss the next phase of bilateral economic cooperation. More than just a conventional business exchange, the roundtable signaled a shift in the direction of Korea-UAE economic relations. Cooperation is expanding from a traditional focus on infrastructure construction and energy to a broader engagement encompassing data, AI, culture, and food, highlighting a transition toward the future economy.
The UAE has emerged as a global economic hub driven by bold innovation strategies, while Korea seeks to be globally competitive in advanced industries, manufacturing, and cultural content. The roundtable underscored how these complementary strengths are converging, confirming that cooperation models aimed at joint prosperity are evolving to meet the demands of a changing global landscape.

In his opening remarks, FKI Chairman Jin Roy Ryu emphasized the shared experience of Korea and the UAE as “countries that created miracles from the ground up” underscoring the underlying strength of bilateral cooperation. He noted that the combination of Korea’s technological capabilities and the UAE’s innovation capacity has made the two nations trusted partners in energy, infrastructure, and defense, and identified AI as the central pillar of future innovation cooperation.
Chairman Ryu pointed out that the UAE is targeting global leadership in AI in the 2030s, while Korea holds strong competitiveness in AI semiconductors and applied technologies. On this basis, he stated that the two countries could jointly build a global AI innovation hub. He further clarified that the next phase of bilateral cooperation is not merely an expansion into additional sectors, but a joint entry into entirely new industrial ecosystems.

A defining feature of the roundtable was the direct participation of key economic leaders from both countries. From the UAE, senior figures including Crown Prince Khaled, Mubadala CEO Khaldoon Al Mubarak, and ministers responsible for investment and foreign trade attended, clearly signaling strong commitment to cooperation. From Korea, the heads of the country’s top ten business groups participated in person, demonstrating deep trust in the Korea-UAE partnership.
With participation from both government and business leaders, the meeting was structured to closely integrate policy-level discussions with cooperation proposals from companies. This approach created a practical cooperation framework for alignment among corporate business plans and the government’s strategic direction.
The presence of leading UAE institutions across investment, energy, advanced technology, and consumer goods and distribution further illustrated that cooperation with Korea is regarded as a strategic national priority.