Report claims secret UAE deal in 2013

By Jun Ji-hye

The Park Geun-hye government secretly signed a mutual logistics support agreement (MLSA) with the United Arab Emirates’ (UAE) military in 2013, according to media reports, Tuesday.

The deal applies to the reciprocal provision of logistical support, supplies and services between the militaries of the two in return for either cash payments or reciprocal provisions.

The news about the secret deal raised speculation the Ministry of National Defense under the Park government inked such an agreement in return for a $40 billion bilateral deal in which Seoul was to build and operate four nuclear reactors in the Middle Eastern country. The nuclear deal was signed in 2009 under the Lee Myung-bak government, Park’s predecessor.

It has also been speculated that presidential chief of staff Im Jong-seok’s recent visit to the UAE was related to the issue, though Cheong Wa Dae claimed the visit was meant to boost morale of Korean soldiers stationed in there and enhance bilateral ties.

The Hankook Ilbo, the sister paper of The Korea Times, quoted an unidentified former government official as saying working-level officials of Korea and the UAE met around October 2013 and signed the MLSA behind closed doors.

“The government of the time did not even notify the National Assembly of the signing of the MLSA, considering diplomatic relations with Middle East countries,” the official was quoted as saying. “The deal was signed secretly at the direction of Cheong Wa Dae and then-Defense Minister Kim Kwan-jin.”

The official also said working-level officials of the two sides have since held regular meetings every year to improve military cooperation.

Mentioning that Korea has deployed the “Akh” unit that has assisted in training UAE soldiers since 2011 and then signed the MLSA in 2013, the newspaper noted the Korean unit there may have to intervene in possible strife in the Middle East.

Seoul’s 2016 defense white paper identifies 15 countries that the nation has signed MLSAs with, including the United States, the Philippines, Israel and Cambodia. But the paper does not mention the agreement with the UAE.

Defense ministry spokeswoman Choi Hyun-soo refused to confirm the signing of the MLSA with the UAE, saying, “We cannot confirm that, considering the trust between the two countries.”

For his part, former President Lee denied rumors that corruption was involved in the 2009 deal via a double contract.

“There was no double contract,” Lee said during a meeting with reporters at his residence in Seoul, Monday.

On the controversy over the presidential chief of staff’s visit to the UAE, Lee said, “He might have made the visit as there had been urgent business. I can’t talk about it anymore.”