Nam Hyun-woo has worked as a staff writer at The Korea Times since 2013, mostly covering business and politics. He currently belongs to the Business Desk where he covers topics such as emerging tech, AI, ICT and Korea's chaebol community. Prior to joining the team, he was the paper's correspondent for the presidential office of Korea during the Yoon Suk Yeol and Moon Jae-in administrations.
President to visit Saudi Arabia, Qatar amid growing volatility in Middle East
President Yoon Suk Yeol walks with Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman during their meeting at the former's residence in Seoul, Nov. 17. Courtesy of presidential office
By Nam Hyun-woo
Heads of Samsung, Hyundai to join Yoon for Saudi tour
President Yoon Suk Yeol will make a six-day visit to Saudi Arabia and Qatar amid escalating volatility in the Middle East in the wake of the conflict between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas.
With the U.S.-backed plans to normalize ties between Israel and Saudi Arabia believed to be the fundamental reason behind the war, Riyadh is signaling a return to the Arab world. This will likely test Yoon’s diplomacy, as he will have to carefully balance the political value of solidarity with Israel and Western countries against the lucrative economic projects that Korea has on the table with Saudi Arabia.
According to First Deputy Director of National Security Kim Tae-hyo, Thursday, Yoon will arrive in Riyadh on Saturday for a six-day state visit to Saudi Arabia and Qatar. It is the first time for a Korean president to make a state visit to the countries.
During his stay, Yoon will meet Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and discuss ways to bolster bilateral ties and economic partnerships. During their meeting, Kim said the leaders are anticipated to exchange opinions on the geopolitical situation in the Middle East, given the conflict between Israel and Hamas is escalating.
“The Korean government has grave concerns about the increasing civilian death toll, and it will provide support for civilians in Palestine under a purely humanitarian purpose,” Kim said. “Through Yoon’s visit, we are seeking to discuss ways for cooperation to promote peace in the Middle East and strengthen our national security.”
Korea’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced Thursday it will provide $2 million (2.7 billion won) in humanitarian aid to help civilians in Israel and Palestine.
“Given the regional volatility, Yoon’s talks will likely focus on finding the common ground for practical cooperation (with Saudi Arabia) against the backdrop of ongoing geopolitical complexity,” a senior official at the presidential office said. “While exploring Korea’s humanitarian support in the ongoing conflict, we will take a comprehensive review on how to build future-oriented relations with Middle Eastern nations.”
First Deputy Director of National Security Kim Tae-hyo announces President Yoon Suk Yeol's trip to Saudi Arabia and Qatar during a press conference at the presidential office in Yongsan District, Seoul, Thursday. Yonhap
The comments are in line with Korea’s cautious position in the conflict between Israel and Hamas.
After Hamas launched a surprise attack on Israel on Oct. 7, Yoon met with a six-member U.S. bipartisan Senate delegation in Seoul on Oct. 11 and “condemned Hamas' indiscriminate attacks on Israel,” according to a statement released by Yoon’s office. The statement did not mention whether Yoon has expressed Korea’s support of Israel, similar to the U.S. and other Western countries.
This was comparable to Yoon’s message during his summit with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in New York, Sept. 20. The leaders described each other's countries as nations “which share the values of free democracy, human rights and the rule of law” and pledged to pursue joint research projects and defense industry cooperation.
While Yoon did not explicitly state Seoul’s support of Israel, observers anticipate that Washington will likely exert increased pressure on Seoul to align with Western countries in the context of its values-based diplomacy ― similar to the approach taken during the conflict between Ukraine and Russia.
On the other hand, Saudi Arabia is signaling its alignment with the Arab world. The kingdom has paused talks on normalizing ties with Israel, and Reuters earlier reported that Washington had pressed Riyadh to condemn the Hamas attack though the Saudi foreign minister has “pushed back” against this.
Amid this complexity, Yoon has to seek ways to renew economic partnerships with Saudi Arabia amid the kingdom’s efforts to prepare for the post-oil era.
“As Middle Eastern countries prepare for the post-oil era, it is time for us to renew our partnerships with them,” senior presidential secretary for economic affairs Choi Sang-mok said. “And Korea, which has technological capabilities and industrial progress, is a suitable partner for them. The visit will serve as an important opportunity to expand Seoul’s economic partnerships with the Middle East ... electric vehicles, shipbuilding, smart farms, culture content and other future industries.”
Choi said “a double-digit” number of memoranda of understanding are expected to be signed during Yoon’s stay in Saudi Arabia. For this, an economic delegation comprised of 130 domestic business leaders will accompany Yoon to Riyadh. They include Samsung Electronics Chairman Lee Jae-yong, Hyundai Motor Group Executive Chairman Chung Euisun, Hanwha Vice Chairman Kim Dong-kwan and other heads of energy and construction firms.
After attending a number of business events, Yoon will fly to Doha, Qatar, Oct. 24, for his two-day state visit to the country. While there, Yoon will visit the International Horticultural Expo 2023 to celebrate the opening of a Korean pavilion, and will have a summit with the Emir of Qatar Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani. He will return to Seoul on Oct. 26. A delegation of 59 Korean businessmen will also visit Qatar to seek expanded economic partnerships.
Meanwhile, the senior official at the presidential office said there will be no discussions between Yoon and the Saudi crown prince over the two countries’ bids to host the World Expo 2030.
Currently, Korea’s Busan and Saudi’s Riyadh are staging a neck-and-neck race to host the event, with the vote for selecting the host nation to be held at the 173rd General Assembly of the Bureau International des Exposition on Nov. 28.