Moon's Vietnam, UAE visits to focus on economy

By Kim Rahn

President Moon Jae-in's visits to Vietnam and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) will provide momentum in seeking new emerging trade partners for Korea in Southeast Asia and the Middle East, Cheong Wa Dae officials said Tuesday.

Moon will head for Vietnam Thursday for a three-day state visit, and then to the UAE from March 24 to 27 in an official visit. It is his second visit to Vietnam and first to the UAE and the Middle East.

“Vietnam is the core country in the Moon administration's New Southern Policy,” a Cheong Wa Dae official said anonymously. The New Southern Policy aims to diversify Seoul's economic partnerships beyond the U.S. and China, by increasing trade with Southeast Asian nations.

“Vietnam is the fifth-largest trade partner for Korea, and will soon become the fourth around next year, outdistancing Japan,” the official said. “It is the key partner in the policy, so Moon will seek ways to strengthen practical cooperation in various fields including trade, transportation, infrastructure and energy.”

This year marks the 25th year of diplomatic relations between Korea and Vietnam, he said.

As the first in the itineraries in Vietnam, he will meet Park Hang-seo, the Korean head coach of the Vietnamese national football team whose leadership led the country to win second place in the U23 Asian Cup.

He will then participate in the groundbreaking ceremony for the Vietnam-Korea Institute of Science and Technology, which is a symbol of cooperation between the two nations in science and technology.

On the second day of his visit, Moon will place flowers on the grave of former President Ho Chi Minh. Afterward he will have a summit with his Vietnamese counterpart Tran Dai Quang, as well as meetings with Communist Party of Vietnam Secretary General Nguyen Phu Trong, Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc and National Assembly Chairwoman Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan.

Moon will also attend a job fair and a ceremony in which around 100 Korean companies operating there will promise to hire at least one young Korean jobseeker each, in an effort to help resolve Korea's high youth unemployment.

He will then head for Abu Dhabi, which is emerging as Korea's new economic partner in the Middle East.

“The UAE is Korea's second-largest trade partner in the Middle East. Of 25,000 Koreans in the region, about 13,000 are in the UAE,” the official said. “We aim to develop the strategic partnership to a special strategic partnership.”

While economic cooperation with the country has become strong since 2009 when Korea won a bid for a nuclear power plant project in Barakah, the two now seek cooperation in emerging industries such as defense and healthcare.

Upon arrival, Moon will visit the Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan Mosque and pay tribute to the country's first president.

The next morning, he will place flowers at the Wahat al Karama, a memorial for fallen soldiers. Then Moon will have a summit with Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the crown prince of Abu Dhabi.

On March 26, the two leaders will participate in a ceremony to mark the completion of construction of the first reactor at the nuclear plant in Barakah. On his last day there, Moon will encourage Korean soldiers of Akh Unit dispatched there, and head for Dubai to meet Mohammed bin Rashid Al-Maktoum, the crown prince of Dubai and prime minister of the UAE. They will discuss Korea's participation in the Dubai Expo to be held in 2020.