Abu Dhabi

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol arrived in Abu Dhabi, UAE, as part of his official visit where he is expected to expand the sale of his country’s military equipment here.

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On Sunday, Suk Yeol received an honour of guard welcome at Qasr Al Watan palace, where he was greeted by Emirati leader Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, who assumed office in May after serving as the country's de facto ruler for years.

South Korea and UAE’s trade deals are worth billions of dollars, and the Asian country’s special forces troops have been stationed in UAE, an arrangement that drew criticism under his liberal predecessor.

It is believed that the South Korean leader’s visit is more focused towards the trade deals as the country’s military links with UAE have been sharply criticised.

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South Korea's Yonhap news agency quoted Sheikh Mohammed as saying that the UAE is looking to invest $30 billion in South Korea.

“We decided to make the investment with confidence in the Republic of Korea that keeps its promises under all circumstances,” he said.

However, the report did not elaborate on the details of the investment.

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Before Yoon's trip began, South Korean officials described the visit as seeking to solidify the ties between the two countries.

“This visit will strengthen strategic co-operation with our brother country UAE in the four core cooperative sectors of nuclear power, energy, investment and defence,” Kim Sung-han, director of national security in Yoon’s government, said

Yonhap quoted an anonymous presidency official on Saturday saying that an arms deal was planned.

"The atmosphere is extremely ripe for security or military co-operation between South Korea and the UAE involving the arms industry,” the official reportedly said.

 (With inputs from agencies)

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