South Korean minister visits UAE

The South Korean defence minister is on his first official visit to the Emirates, since he took office last December.

Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed, the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and the Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces received Kim Kwan-jim and his delegation this evening, according to WAM, the state news agency.

Mr Kim is on a five-day trip to Afghanistan and the United Arab Emirates, where he will meet troops that are stationed in both countries.

He will meet 120 troops from his country who arrived in the UAE last month to train local special forces and conduct joint military exercises with the UAE forces, according to the Yonhap News Agency, based in South Korea.

Sheikh Mohammed discussed bilateral relations between the two countries, including “the fields of defence, training, military coordination and exchange of scientific and technological expertise,” according to WAM.

They also talked about the “latest and international events and the recent developments in the region,” the news agency added.

Mr Kim arrived on Monday from Afghanistan where he visited 340 troops. The troops in Afghanistan protect South Korean workers who are part of a reconstruction team working in the northern Afghanistan province of Parwan, according to Yonhap.

The unit, called “Ashena” works to provide the residents of Parwan with medical services and job training, and includes other services. The defence minister also visited a newly built base in Parwan.

Mr Kim replaced Kim Tae-young as the new defence ministry following incidents of shelling on the Yeonpyeong and escalating tensions between North and South Korea.

sbhattacharya@thenational.ae