President Park returns from Middle East with prospects for greater cooperation
- 9 years ago
We begin with President Park Geun-hye's week-long trip to the Middle East... which took her to Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Qatar.
She has returned to Korea with prospects for stronger and much more active cooperation with the region.
Our Choi You-sun takes us through some of the achievements from the presidential trip.
Speaking to reporters en route to Seoul,... President Park said she felt that Korea's vision for revitalizing the economy through greater economic cooperation with the Middle East is being realized.
President Park said that one of the biggest achievements from her trip... was helping small to mid-sized Korean firms strike business deals in the region's so-called "new" industries.
In fact, one-on-one business sessions in each of the four countries, many of which were attended by SMEs, resulted in 44 bilateral agreements totaling 900 million dollars.
The agreements expand existing oil and construction-centered cooperation into the fields of nuclear energy, agriculture, health care, ICT and culture.
These post oil-era initiatives, the president said, are in line with Seoul's economic innovation plan.
"Previously energy-focused, these countries have started seeking multi-dimensional development. And that's helped us rediscover the Middle East, and encouraged the region to once again recognize Korea as an important partner."
As for the specific areas of cooperation, the presidential office listed Korea's first export of its creative economy model to Saudi Arabia, a deal between Korea and the UAE to develop Korea's halal industry, and an establishment of a cultural center in Abu Dhabi.
The presidential office said dozens of deals were made mainly because Koreans' expertise, credibility and hard-working style have helped build trust in the region.
"As it is with friends, I've started to believe that if countries value trust and work for it, we can make another leap in the Middle East."
To sustain the momentum, Seoul plans to monitor the progr
She has returned to Korea with prospects for stronger and much more active cooperation with the region.
Our Choi You-sun takes us through some of the achievements from the presidential trip.
Speaking to reporters en route to Seoul,... President Park said she felt that Korea's vision for revitalizing the economy through greater economic cooperation with the Middle East is being realized.
President Park said that one of the biggest achievements from her trip... was helping small to mid-sized Korean firms strike business deals in the region's so-called "new" industries.
In fact, one-on-one business sessions in each of the four countries, many of which were attended by SMEs, resulted in 44 bilateral agreements totaling 900 million dollars.
The agreements expand existing oil and construction-centered cooperation into the fields of nuclear energy, agriculture, health care, ICT and culture.
These post oil-era initiatives, the president said, are in line with Seoul's economic innovation plan.
"Previously energy-focused, these countries have started seeking multi-dimensional development. And that's helped us rediscover the Middle East, and encouraged the region to once again recognize Korea as an important partner."
As for the specific areas of cooperation, the presidential office listed Korea's first export of its creative economy model to Saudi Arabia, a deal between Korea and the UAE to develop Korea's halal industry, and an establishment of a cultural center in Abu Dhabi.
The presidential office said dozens of deals were made mainly because Koreans' expertise, credibility and hard-working style have helped build trust in the region.
"As it is with friends, I've started to believe that if countries value trust and work for it, we can make another leap in the Middle East."
To sustain the momentum, Seoul plans to monitor the progr