Crown Prince begins three-day visit to Korea

Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed arrives in Seoul today for talks with the South Korean president on topics expected to include nuclear co-operation.

SEOUL // Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, arrives in Seoul today for talks with the South Korean president on topics expected to include nuclear co-operation. During the three-day visit, Sheikh Mohammed is expected to meet President Lee Myung-bak, to discuss a wide range of issues such as the development of the two countries' already strong ties, officials said yesterday.
The leaders are likely to discuss nuclear co-operation, according to Korean media reports. Last December, a consortium of Korean companies won a contract worth US$20billion (Dh73bn) to build four nuclear power plants in the UAE. The contract was signed during a visit by Mr Lee that included meetings with UAE leaders including Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed, President of the UAE. The consortium, led by the Korea Electric Power Corp, includes Samsung, Hyundai and Doosan Heavy Industries from Korea and the US firm Westinghouse, as well as Japan's Toshiba.
Officials said that during the current visit the Crown Prince was expected to visit a number of facilities but did not specify exact locations. Korean newspapers reported earlier this month that he would visit one of the country's 20 nuclear power plants as well as industrial facilities. The two leaders met last month in Washington on the sidelines of the Nuclear Security Summit. They discussed international efforts to combat nuclear terrorism and the need for nations to abide by nuclear nonproliferation treaties.
Following talks with Mr Lee in December, Sheikh Khalifa said the country was keen to learn from Korea's "successful development experience and transferring economic know-how, particularly in the areas of technology, industry and technical fields through joint investment projects". There have been several visits between representatives of the UAE and South Korea in recent years. The late Korean president, Roh Moo-hyun, visited the Emirates in 2006, and Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed visited the Asian nation in the same year. Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, visited Seoul the following year.
After the contract was awarded to the Korean consortium, Theodore Karasik, of the Institute for Near East and Gulf Military Analysis in Dubai, said that choosing to partner with Korea reflected a long-standing UAE policy to diversify its suppliers of technology and know-how in different fields. "It's another fine example of how the UAE is diversifying, whether in the military and defence or economy or energy," he said. He also stressed that Korea's 30 years of experience in manufacturing nuclear reactors was key to the Asian nation's selection by the UAE. Nearly 40 per cent of Korea's electricity needs are supplied by nuclear power.
Khaldoun al Mubarak, the chairman of Abu Dhabi's Executive Affairs Authority and the Emirates Nuclear Energy Corporation, said in December that the deal will pair the two countries well into the future. "The nature of this project will require a partnership that endures for nearly 100 years," he said. [e-mail]