Says President Yoon Suk-yeol in Saudi Arabia
South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol has said the country will help realize Saudi Arabia's Vision 2030 for economic diversification by sharing its know-how and experience in economic development and using the capabilities and skills of its businesses, according to an interview published Sunday.
Yoon made the remark in a written interview with the Saudi newspaper Al Riyadh ahead of his four-day state visit to the Arab nation, which started Saturday.
"South Korea is one of the main cooperation nations for the realization of Saudi Arabia's Vision 2030, and I expect our cooperation to increase in various areas, including not only construction and infrastructure, but also energy, investment and culture," he said.
"South Korea will continue to contribute to the effective realization of Saudi Arabia's Vision 2030 based on its economic development know-how and experience, and the capabilities and skills of South Korea's excellent businesses," he added.
Saudi Vision 2030 is a road map overseen by Saudi Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman for moving the country away from an oil-centric economy.
Yoon's visit comes nearly a year after the crown prince visited Seoul in November last year and the two sides agreed to further develop the bilateral relationship to a "future-oriented strategic partnership" and to establish a "strategic partnership committee" between the two leaders to more systematically pursue the two countries' cooperation projects.
Yoon noted in the interview that Saudi Arabia is the biggest overseas market for South Korean construction projects, accounting for nearly 20 percent of all overseas construction orders.
In particular he noted that the Saudi interior ministry's building in central Riyadh was built by South Korea's Hyundai Engineering & Construction.
"I believe South Korean companies will be a good partner in the process of Saudi Arabia's construction of new cities like Neom," he said, referring to a $500 billion project initiated by the crown prince in 2017 to develop eco-friendly and smart cities in Saudi Arabia's northwestern Tabuk Province.
Yoon also said the two countries are diversifying their cooperation beyond the traditional areas of energy and resources to manufacturing, clean energy, petrochemicals and smart farms based on the US$29 billion worth of deals and memorandums of understanding signed during the crown prince's visit to Seoul.
Yoon said his summit with the crown prince slated for later Sunday will be a venue for exchanging opinions on ways to jointly contribute to world peace and sustainable development amid the growing uncertainty surrounding North Korea's nuclear and missile program, the armed clash between Israel and Hamas, and the war in Ukraine.
"As Saudi Arabia has adhered to its firm position in support of nuclear nonproliferation on the international stage, the Republic of Korea intends to actively cooperate with Saudi Arabia over North Korea's nuclear and missile provocations and blocking their development," he said.