Abu Dhabi Chamber of Commerce business delegation visits Korea

About 90 representatives from companies and institutions on both sides gather

Jang Seok-min, executive vice president of the Korea International Trade Association, delivers opening remarks at the Korea-Abu Dhabi Networking Forum held Thursday at Trade Tower in Samsung-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul. [Korea International Trade Association]
Jang Seok-min, executive vice president of the Korea International Trade Association, delivers opening remarks at the Korea-Abu Dhabi Networking Forum held Thursday at Trade Tower in Samsung-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul. [Korea International Trade Association]

The Korea International Trade Association (KITA) co-hosted the Korea-Abu Dhabi Networking Forum with the Abu Dhabi Chamber of Commerce on Thursday at Trade Tower in Samsung-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul.

The forum was organized on the occasion of an Abu Dhabi Chamber of Commerce business delegation's visit to Korea, with the aim of providing Korean exporters with information on entering the local market and creating networking opportunities with Abu Dhabi-based companies. About 90 people attended, including KITA Executive Vice President Jang Seok-min and Ali Al Marzouqi, secretary-general of the Abu Dhabi Chamber of Commerce, along with representatives from companies and related institutions on both sides.

In his opening remarks, Jang said that with the Korea-UAE Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement having taken effect last May, the institutional groundwork for new cooperation is now in place. "It is time to build on that foundation and accumulate concrete results one by one," he said. "I hope the connections formed between companies at this forum will translate into real business outcomes — export contracts, investment and more — and ultimately stand as a new success story in economic cooperation between our two sides."

Al Marzouqi, in his welcoming address, described Korea as "an important cooperation partner with strong competitiveness in advanced technology and manufacturing, including AI, defense, mobility, and biotech and healthcare." He added that Abu Dhabi is a market open to Korean companies across a wide range of sectors, and expressed hope that the forum would help broaden the scope of bilateral cooperation.

A highlight of the opening ceremony was the signing of an MOU between Jaseng Medical Academy and the Emirates International Hospital Group (EIHG) to establish a strategic partnership aimed at globalizing Korean traditional medicine.

Jaseng Medical Academy Director Yoon Young-seok and EIHG CEO Linus Patrick Obed said they would use the agreement as a springboard to identify specific joint projects, including improving clinical outcomes and optimizing medical costs.

An expert presentation session on promising areas of Korea-Abu Dhabi economic cooperation followed. Bing Hyeon-ji, a researcher at the Korea Institute for Industrial Economics and Trade, said that rising geopolitical risks are making it necessary to shift the focus of bilateral cooperation away from large-scale projects such as nuclear power plants and toward strengthening supply chain and industrial resilience.

She added that in manufacturing particularly, the two countries should develop long-term industrial partnerships centered on areas where Korea's competitiveness aligns with UAE demand.

After the forum, B2B consultations were held to facilitate concrete business discussions among participating companies. Nine Abu Dhabi firms and 31 Korean companies held a total of 57 one-on-one meetings in promising sectors — energy, robotics, healthcare and consumer goods — exploring specific avenues for cooperation, including market entry and investment possibilities.

Meanwhile, KITA held the first KITA Innovation Forum — themed "Industry-by-Industry Innovation Trends from Global Companies" — on Wednesday at COEX Startup Branch.

The event was designed to help Korea's trade industry gain insight into innovation trends across major sectors and develop business strategies amid a rapidly changing global industrial environment. About 150 representatives from export companies attended.


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