President Park Geun-hye is traveling the Middle East to boost economic diplomacy...
Today she held talks with the UAE's crown prince as she aimed to keep up the momentum in their strategic partnership.
Our Choi You-sun files this report from Abu Dhabi.
In a deal signed Thursday, Seoul and Abu Dhabi agreed to share halal food technologies and market and certification data.
Halal foods are certified according to strict Islamic dietary guidelines, and its global market size is expected to hit 1-point-6 trillion dollars in 2018.
That’s some 15 percent of the entire food and beverage market.
Sealing this deal paves the way for Korea to develop its own halal certified products, which it anticipates will double its current 700-million-dollar halal exports by 2017.
It also opens the door for the UAE to bolster its agricultural and food industries in cooperation with Korea, while also giving Korean companies the opportunity to make inroads into the region.
“We expect to make another big leap in the agricultural industry, if Korea enters the Middle East with high-quality halal and agricultural products.”
On the cultural front, the two sides will set up the Gulf region's first Korean cultural center in Abu Dhabi, and push for joint development of cultural contents.
This is in response to a growing Korean population in the UAE and the UAE’s interest in Korean culture and language thanks to the popularity of Korean TV dramas and K-pop.
Seoul and Abu Dhabi also agreed to upgrade their collaboration in health care, oil field development, and infrastructure.
"Forging a nuclear cooperation deal in 2009, the UAE became Korea's first strategic partner in the Gulf region. President Park's office says the leaders of two sides met three time in the past year alone, which shows how committed they are to the partnership.
Choi You-sun, Arirang News, Abu Dhabi."
