ED New horizons in UAE ties

President Lee Jae Myung and United Arab Emirates President Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, right, enter a conference hall for expanded bilateral talks at the presidential palace in Abu Dhabi, Tuesday. The meeting was part of Lee’s state visit to the UAE. Yonhap

President Lee Jae Myung’s four-nation tour of the Middle East and Africa has opened a significant chapter in Korea’s diplomatic engagement. His state visit to the United Arab Emirates culminated in a joint declaration with President Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, titled “A New Leap for 100 Years of Korea-UAE Partnership.” The declaration confirms Korea’s commitment to supporting the UAE’s long-term vision of becoming one of the world’s foremost nations by 2071, and reflects Seoul’s intention to broaden its strategic outlook beyond the traditional U.S.-China-Japan orbit to encompass emerging regions with rising geopolitical weight.

The summit between the two leaders produced a substantial expansion of bilateral cooperation. Long-standing pillars of collaboration — investment, defense, nuclear energy and conventional energy — will now be complemented by joint initiatives in artificial intelligence (AI), space exploration, health care and cultural exchange. Of particular consequence is the agreement to pursue third-country nuclear power projects based on the Barakah model. The four Barakah reactors, built by Korea and completed last year, now generate roughly one-quarter of the UAE’s electricity, standing as a testament to Korean engineering and dependable project execution. For Seoul, the UAE is positioned to serve as a strategic launchpad for deeper engagement across Middle Eastern and African energy markets. Defense cooperation, which gained momentum with the 2017 export of the Chunmoo multiple rocket launcher, is also poised to evolve toward joint development and localized production.

This diplomatic momentum comes at a time when nuclear energy is gaining renewed global prominence. The United States has proclaimed a “nuclear renaissance” and announced plans to construct 10 new reactors by 2030. The United Kingdom is racing to commercialize small modular reactors (SMRs), while Japan has restarted reactors previously shuttered after the 2011 Fukushima disaster. As nations scramble to secure stable, carbon-neutral power sources, Korea, whose access to North American and European nuclear markets remains constrained by technology agreements with Westinghouse, cannot afford strategic drift. Partnerships in the Middle East and Africa, therefore, carry heightened significance.

Yet this surge in international cooperation throws into sharp relief a disquieting inconsistency at home. While the government champions nuclear collaboration abroad, its domestic posture on new reactors and SMR deployment remains ambivalent. This ambiguity risks undermining Korea’s credibility as a reliable long-term nuclear partner. The nuclear industry is, above all, an ecosystem sustained by continuity, predictability and political will. Mixed signals, which once allowed Korea’s critics to argue that it was phasing out nuclear power domestically while exporting reactors overseas, invite skepticism and weaken the country’s competitive standing.

The issue is pressing. The 11th Basic Plan for Power Supply and Demand envisions the construction of two new large reactors, a timeline that requires site selection within the year. Instead, the government has deferred the decision while invoking the need for expanded public deliberation. Although public input is vital, prolonged indecision clouds the strategic landscape and creates uncertainty for the industry. It also undermines the administration’s own pledge to pursue a “rational energy mix” grounded in practical long-term considerations.

These concerns are amplified by Korea’s AI aspirations. The data centers needed to operate the 260,000 GPUs Korea expects to receive from Nvidia will demand electricity equivalent to nearly half the output of a large reactor. Around the world, governments have recognized that AI competitiveness and energy security are inseparable. If Korea continues to hesitate on nuclear development while simultaneously advancing its AI ambitions, it risks constructing a high-tech future atop an unstable energy foundation.

Korea’s diplomatic strides, particularly its elevated partnership with the UAE, offer a valuable opportunity to reposition the nation economically and strategically. But these external gains must be matched by internal coherence. For the “100-year partnership” to mature into a genuine engine of national advancement, the government must align its domestic energy strategy with the ambitions it projects abroad, demonstrating not only technical capability but also the clarity and resolve that global leadership requires.