Saudi Arabia, South Korea Seek to Boost Relations, Investments

Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman holds talks with South Korean President Moon Jae-in in Riyadh on Tuesday. (SPA)
Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman holds talks with South Korean President Moon Jae-in in Riyadh on Tuesday. (SPA)
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Saudi Arabia, South Korea Seek to Boost Relations, Investments

Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman holds talks with South Korean President Moon Jae-in in Riyadh on Tuesday. (SPA)
Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman holds talks with South Korean President Moon Jae-in in Riyadh on Tuesday. (SPA)

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defense, held talks on Tuesday with South Korean President Moon Jae-in on bilateral relations between their countries and ways to bolster them in all fields.

The South Korean leader had arrived in Riyadh on Tuesday on an official visit.

Talks with the Crown Prince also tackled regional and international developments.

Saudi Ambassador to Seoul, Sami Alsadhan noted that Crown Prince Mohammed had made an official visit to South Korea in 2019.

His trip helped strengthen relations with Seoul and expanded them to cover areas such a health, information technology, culture and education, he told the Saudi Press Agency.

South Korea is a strategic partner to Saudi Arabia as shown in the Kingdom's Vision 2030 and the Saudi-Korean Vision 2030 cooperation agreement that was signed in October 2017, he added.

Meanwhile, a senior Korean source said Seoul and Riyadh enjoy military cooperation that may later be expanded to include rockets and military equipment.

Fields that may provide cooperation opportunities include hydrogen fuel, renewable energy, digitization, technology, advanced industries, education and health.

Speaking on condition of anonymity, the source told Asharq Al-Awsat that the bilateral talks between Saudi Arabia and South Korea covered several agreements and memorandums of understanding that underscore the strategic natures of their relations.

Moon's visit to Riyadh and meeting with Crown Prince Mohammed will pave the way for more opportunities and shape the future ties between their countries.

Major countries are seeking to relocate their regional headquarters to Saudi Arabia, he remarked, a reference to South Korea's LG Corp's plan to establish its regional headquarter Riyadh.



UAE Coast Guard Evacuates 24 People from Oil Tanker Crash in the Gulf of Oman

FILE PHOTO: Oil tankers pass through the Strait of Hormuz, December 21, 2018. REUTERS/Hamad I Mohammed/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: Oil tankers pass through the Strait of Hormuz, December 21, 2018. REUTERS/Hamad I Mohammed/File Photo
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UAE Coast Guard Evacuates 24 People from Oil Tanker Crash in the Gulf of Oman

FILE PHOTO: Oil tankers pass through the Strait of Hormuz, December 21, 2018. REUTERS/Hamad I Mohammed/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: Oil tankers pass through the Strait of Hormuz, December 21, 2018. REUTERS/Hamad I Mohammed/File Photo

The Emirati national guard said it evacuated 24 people from an oil tanker Tuesday after a collision between two ships just east of the Strait of Hormuz in the Gulf of Oman, Emirates News Agency (WAM) reported.

The United Arab Emirates national guard said it deployed its coast guard’s search and rescue boats to the site, 24 nautical miles off the country's coast, and that the crew was evacuated to the port of Khor Fakkan.

The strait is the strategic maritime entryway to the Arabian Gulf and sees about a fifth of the world’s oil pass through it, according to the US Energy Information Administration. In 2024, an average of 20 million barrels of oil traveled through it daily.