The UAE Minister of Economy His Excellency Sultan Al Mansoori recently held a series of discussions with senior South Korean officials on enhancing co-operation in the fields of knowledge-based economy, small and medium enterprises (SME) and healthcare. The discussions were held alongside the 2nd meeting of the UAE-Korean Joint Economic Committee that took place in Seoul on May 12.
Tchoy Kwingwan, the South Korean Minister of Knowledge Economy, briefed Al Mansouri on the activities of his newly established ministry, tasked with supporting economic development through the adoption of state-of-the-art technology in the industrial, services and other vital sectors in addition to encouraging innovation and creativity in technology.
Al Mansoori expressed the UAE’s interest to benefit from the South Korean experience in knowledge-based economy, which the Government of the UAE considers as a strategic objective. He agreed with the Korean Minister to form a joint team to organise and co-ordinate exchange visits between both countries and to agree on an efficient mechanism of co-operation.
Meanwhile, the UAE Minister also met with Kim Dong Sun, Administrator of the Small and Medium Businesses Administration in South Korea. Kim Dong told Al Mansouri that small and medium enterprises, which make up 99% of the companies in South Korea, highly depend on advanced technologies and innovation.
Al Mansouri highlighted the efforts of the UAE government to develop the SME sector through the Ministry of Economy. He stated that the ministry is working on a new law to provide an ideal environment for SMEs in the UAE and enable the sector to attract investments and expertise from the whole world. It was also agreed to set up a special committee to follow up and conduct regular meetings between both parties on co-operation in this sector.
Jeon Jai Hi, Minister of Health and Welfare of South Korea, also met with the UAE Minister to discuss co-operation in healthcare. South Korea has advanced technology and facilities in specialty areas such as the treatment of cancer as well as in surgeries, especially cosmetic surgeries. Al Mansouri expressed the UAE’s interest to send UAE nationals to be trained in advanced medical care in South Korea.
