September 23 is the auspicious National Day of the Kingdom of Saudia Arabia

By Publisher-Chairman Lee Kyung-sik, VCs. Choe Nam-suk, Joy Cho, Jang Chang-yong, Reporter Jeong Da-jeong

The 23rd of September is the auspicious National Day of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, which is largely celebration in Saudi Arabia and many other countries of the world, who, of course, include the Republic of Korea.
At this juncture The Korea Post media, publisher of 3 English and 2 Korean-language news publications since 1985, had an interview with H.E. Sami M. Alsadhan, the Ambassador of Saudi Arabia in Seoul. Details of the interview follow:

Question: What are the significant aspects the National Day of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, which falls on September 23.

Answer: On September 23, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia celebrates its 93rd National Day, after the historic announcement of the founding King Abdulaziz bin Abdulrahman Al Saud and his naming of this country (the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia) in 1932, after a unification phase that lasted thirty-two years, which established for this construction and a young state emerged at that time, spreading peace and goodness, searching for knowledge and development, moving steadily towards a better tomorrow for its people and the whole world.

On these days, the Saudis remember a glorious day in which the Saudis became proud of their religion and patriotism under the guidance of the government that made its first goal of developing, and empowering it to rise among the peoples of the world with pride and dignity. They remember this occasion as they live today in a new reality full of huge development projects that stand as a witness to the progress and advancement of the Kingdom similar to developed countries.

This year, the citizens of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia evoke this memory under the slogan "We Dream and Achieve", expressing through this slogan the extent of dreams that have become close and realistic in all fields of the lives of the Kingdom's residents, as it was clearly reflected in the huge projects that the Kingdom bet on through Saudi Vision 2030, which made it consolidate its strength and position to continue to play its important and pivotal role at all levels.

Q: His Highness the Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman made an official visit to Korea in November last year, during which he met with President Yoon Suk-yeol of Korea regarding the NEOM project and Vision 2030. Would you kindly introduce the details of the measures taken between the two countries regarding these two projects?

A: There is no doubt that the historic visit made by His Royal Highness Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Crown Prince and Prime Minister to the Republic of Korea in November last year contributed to strengthening historical relations between the two countries, which resulted in the signing of more than twenty-six agreements worth $30 billion in economic, development, cultural and investment fields.

And others, and I must point out here that the Republic of Korea is considered a strategic partner of the Kingdom in Vision 2030 according to the memorandum of cooperation “Saudi-Korean Vision 2030”, which was signed in October of 2017, and this is clear evidence that the Kingdom considers the Republic of Korea an important economic partner for it to achieve its vision 2030. And later this memorandum of cooperation resulted in the formation of a committee of representatives of government agencies and relevant bodies in the two countries under the name “Saudi-Korean Vision 2030 Committee.”

In fact, this joint vision in its essence focuses on enhancing the flow of foreign direct investments by strengthening trade ties between the private sector in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Republic of Korea.

On the other hand, there are activities of some Korean companies in the NEOM City construction project by supplying construction equipment to the companies implementing the project and participating in managing the implementation of the NEOM The Line Project.

We look forward to witnessing Korean companies having a greater presence in the construction of NEOM City due to the presence of investment opportunities and ongoing projects. I believe that such projects, with the necessary infrastructure and all services and amenities, are a strong incentive for Korean companies to enhance their presence and invest more broadly in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

Q: Who are the leading Korean companies in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia contributing to the relations and cooperation between the two countries

A: There are many leading Korean companies operating in the Kingdom, which work with their counterparts in the Kingdom on large and medium projects contributing to the huge development that the Kingdom is witnessing in all fields, and most of the huge companies in Korea such as Samsung, Hyundai, Daewoo and Doosan, are all in its own operations in exploration, clean energy generation, desalination of seawater, metal molding and forming plants, etc.

Q: What are the tourist attractions in Saudi Arabia for Korean visitors and travelers?

A: There are many tourist places to visit such as historical and archaeological sites and museums in Saudi Arabia such as Madain Saleh in Al-Ula, Al-Masmak Palace Museum, Murabba Palace in the capital Riyadh, the National Museum of Riyadh and Al Diriyah, as well as historical monuments in Old Jeddah and some historical sites east of the Kingdom and specifically in Al-Ahsa.

For lovers of picturesque nature and its variety of mountain meadows and green forests, the south of the Kingdom is the most suitable place to visit and spend the most enjoyable times such as Aseer Province, Al-Bahah and Jazan Heights. For those who love maritime adventures, the Red Sea coast extending from the far north of the Kingdom in the Tabuk region to the south, is an attractive spot for them, and can practice snorkeling and fishing and enjoy watching coral reefs.

It is worth noting that in these regions are the largest upcoming projects of the Kingdom, namely the NEOM Project and the Red Sea Project.

On the other hand, the Kingdom hosts a number of international events, competitions, and demonstrations such as the Formula 1 race, the largest boxing fights in the Diriyah Circuit, multiple musical and cultural concerts, and the seasons of Riyadh, Jeddah, and the Eastern Province.

It was also pointed out that Saudi Airlines opened four direct flights last year from Seoul to Jeddah and Riyadh, and is seeking to increase the number of its flights.

In addition to several of commercial lines to operate flights linking the Kingdom with the Republic of Korea, with the increasing number of Korean tourists coming to the Kingdom, the Kingdom aspires for the number of Korean tourists in 2030 to reach 25 million people.

Q: What is your view of strengthening economic relations between Saudi Arabia and Korea in the coming years?

A: The mutual visits of officials of the two countries are evidence of the desire of the two governments to strengthen relations between the two countries, considering that the economic and investment fields are one of the most important pillars of the relations between the two countries, as the Kingdom is Korea's largest partner in the Middle East. These visits at all levels will contribute greatly to strengthening economic and investment relations between the two countries. In addition to encouraging Korean companies to participate in the huge development projects undertaken by the Kingdom, this will enhance the volume of trade exchange between the two countries.

President Yoon Suk-yeol’s view of Saudi Arabia:
President Yoon Suk-Yeol received on July 20, 2022 at the Presidential Office Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah, Saudi Minister of Foreign Affairs, during his official visit to the Republic of Korea.
Prince Faisal conveyed the greetings of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud and His Royal Highness Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz, Crown Prince and Deputy Prime Minister, and their wishes of continued stability and progress to President Yoon and the government and people of the Republic of Korea, while President Yoon in turn sent his greetings and appreciation to the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques and HRH the Crown Prince, and the government and people of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
During the meeting, they reviewed bilateral relations between the two countries and ways to support and enhance them in all fields, in addition to discussing the latest regional and international developments and the efforts made in their regard to achieve peace and stability.
The meeting was attended by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s Ambassador to the Republic of Korea, Sami Al-Sadhan, and the Director-General of the Minister of Foreign Affairs office, Abdulrahman Al-Daoud.
 

Korean Foreign Minister’s view of Saudi Arabia:

Minister of Foreign Affairs Park Jin has a very high view of Saudi Arabia. Here are excerpts from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs under his command and control:

Saudi Arabia is the world's number one crude oil exporting country and the only G20 member among the Middle East countries.

The Republic of Korea sees a very bright future for Korea-Saudi relations. This year, the situation in the Middle East has been moving towards reconciliation. The Saudi government is actively leading this process.

Korea believes that the Saudi government's efforts will pay dividends in external relations, which will in turn help accelerate the progress of the Vision 2030, which the government is promoting.

This shift in the landscape is expected to have a very positive impact on the Korea-Saudi relationship.

Overall, Korea and Saudi Arabia have enjoyed a very close relationship since the establishment of diplomatic relations in 1962.

Saudi Arabia has always been Korea’s main energy supplier. Korea has helped build their infrastructure, and the foreign currency our construction industry is earning in Saudi Arabia n has been a boon to the Korean economy.

The goodwill and friendship between the peoples of the two countries that were formed at that time continue to serve as a solid foundation for bilateral relations, cooperation and friendship.

Now, the cooperation between the two countries is expanding in all directions.

In particular, the visit of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to Korea in June 2019 marked a new milestone in the expansion of bilateral relations. Korea is now one of the eight key partners of the Saudi government's Vision 2030.

The two countries have identified many key areas of cooperation, which include manufacturing, energy, digital, smart, infrastructure, capacity building, health, life sciences, and SME investments. And they are identifying specific cooperation projects around these areas.

Today's economic cooperation between the two countries is a far cry from what it was in the 70s and 80s.

With Saudi Arabia appreciating Korea's rapid development of high-tech industries and Korea praising the Kingdom's transformation program, the two countries are strengthening their mutually beneficial strategic partnership.

The exchanges and cooperation between the two countries are not only limited to the economic field, but also rapidly expanding into the cultural field.

Super Junior's and BTS's performances in Saudi Arabia in 2019 also contributed to a growing interest among Saudis in Korean pop music, as well as Korean movies and dramas. These changes, which are occurring despite the cultural differences between the two countries, show that there is great potential for expanded bilateral ties in the future and suggest that both sides should avoid stereotyping each other.

Korea will strive to ensure that the comprehensive strategic cooperation between the two countries is fully realized, that the cooperation channels between the two governments contribute to achieving great results, and that the cooperation between the two enterprises is further expanded and deepened.

Korea will strive to ensure that the comprehensive strategic cooperation between the two countries is fully realized, the cooperation channels between the two governments will contribute to achieving great results, and the cooperation between the two enterprises will be further expanded and deepened.