FKI Holds Korea-UAE Business Roundtable
- Korea-UAE Business Roundtable “Partnership for the Future:
Innovation, Sustainability, and Shared Prosperity” -
(Abu Dhabi, November 19, 2025) — The Federation of Korean Industries (“FKI”) jointly held the Korea-UAE Business Roundtable, under the theme of “Partnership for the Future: Innovation, Sustainability, and Shared Prosperity,” at the Emirates Palace Mandarin Oriental in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday, November 19, at 10 a.m. local time. The event was jointly held by FKI, Korea’s KOTRA (Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency), UAE’s Ministry of Foreign Trade and the Abu Dhabi Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
Coinciding with President Lee Jae Myung’s state visit to the UAE, the roundtable was attended by approximately 50 government officials and business community leaders from Korea and the UAE. The event holds particular significance as it was joined by H.H. Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, who visited Gyeongju, Korea, on the occasion of the APEC Economic Leaders’ Meeting. Cooperating on infrastructure, the two countries have developed the foundation for partnerships, and the roundtable lays the groundwork for newly expanding partnerships into AI and advanced industry, as well as areas of soft-power, including K-Pop and K-Food.
A grand assembly of Korean and UAE’s top economic leadership, including representatives of the UAE sovereign wealth fund and Korea’s leading businesses
The roundtable was attended by leading government and corporate figures from Korea and the UAE. Representatives from key UAE institutions attended the event, including from Mubadala (Sovereign wealth fund), ENEC (Emirates Nuclear Energy Company), defence industry representatives UAE EDGE (Defence industry holding company) and Tawazun Council for Defence Enablement (Defence economy committee), AMEA Power (New and renewable energy), and Lulu Group (Distribution and food products). Notable UAE top-leadership attending the event in support of Korea-UAE bilateral cooperation included H.E. Khaldoon Al Mubarak, the Managing Director and Group CEO of Mubadala—a leading global strategic industries investment firm; H.E. Mohamed Hassan Alsuwaidi, Minister of Investment; H.E. Dr. Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi, Minister of Foreign Trade; and H.E. Saeed Bin Mubarak Al Hajeri, UAE Minister of State at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Korea's top corporate leadership attending the event included Jae Yong Lee, Chairman of Samsung Electronics; Euisun Chung, Chairman of the Hyundai Motor Group; and Dong Kwan Kim, Vice Chairman of HANWHA Group. The grand assembly of the Korean business community at the event included corporate leaders and representatives from businesses with a history of active cooperation with the UAE—including Young-sang Ryu, Chairman of the SK Group SUPEX Council AI Committee; Joo-wan Cho, CEO of LG Electronics; Seok Cho, Vice Chairman of HD Hyundai; Yeon-in Jung, Vice Chairman of Doosan Enerbility; Yongsoo Huh, CEO of GS Energy; Dong-cheol Kim, President & CEO of KEPCO; Soo-yeon Choi, President & CEO of NAVER; and Ik-hyun Shin, President & CEO of LIG Nex1.
Reflecting the growing influence of K-Culture and K-Food in the UAE, Seok-jun Lee, Vice Chairman of CJ and Jung Soo Kim, vice chairman of Samyang Foods also attended the event. Nota AI and Haeju E&C represented innovative startups in active cooperation with the UAE.
Chairman Jin Roy Ryu: “Building on the trust cultivated on cooperation in traditional industries, we will jointly establish a global AI innovation hub”
Chairman Jin Roy Ryu emphasized bilateral cooperation in his opening remarks: “Korea and the UAE have a shared history of building up a nation from the ground up.” He stated, “The convergence of Korean technology and the UAE’s innovation capacity have led to the two countries becoming most trusted partners in various fields, including in energy, infrastructure, and defence,” and proposed that the field of AI play a lynchpin role for future innovative cooperation.
Chairman Ryu remarked, “The UAE has set its sights on becoming a global AI leader by 2030. Korea is globally competitive in AI semiconductors and practical application technologies. Together, we can establish a global AI innovation hub.” Quoting an Arabian proverb—One hand cannot clap—Chairman Ryu called for bringing forth joint prosperity among the two business communities through renewed and expanded cooperation in clean energy, K-Content, and K-Food.
Cooperation discussed in 3 main fields:
①Advanced Industries, including AI , ②Defence and Energy, and ③Soft Power
During the roundtable, Korean companies shared visions for concrete cooperation in three fields: Advanced Industries; Defence, Energy, and Infrastructure; and Culture (Food, beauty, content, etc.). In the field of advanced industries, Samsung Electronics, Hyundai Motor Group, LG Electronics, SK, and NAVER reaffirmed their commitment to building an AI-driven future innovation hub with the UAE. Key UAE institutions and corporations, including Mubadala (Sovereign wealth fund), Presight (AI), Hub71 (Startup innovation hub), and National Pulse Group (Digital solutions) discussed potential cooperation in future technologies, including data, AI, and smart city. SK highlighted that the UAE is a ‘Critical Strategic Partner in the Middle East’ and proposed a new strategic partnership model appropriate for an AI-driven era. Nota AI delivered a presentation on a plan for concrete cooperation, including building an AI-driven traffic management system in the UAE.
In defence, energy, and infrastructure cooperation, GS Energy outlined cooperation in energy transformation projects, including in clean hydrogen and low carbon ammonia. Based on the company's successful cooperation on the Barakah Nuclear Power Plant with Abu Dhabi ENEC (Emirates Nuclear Energy Corporation), KEPCO reaffirmed their commitment to cooperating in next-generation electric power technology fields, including CCGT, HVDC, and ESS. Key UAE defence institutions, including ADNOC (Abu Dhabi National Oil Company), EDGE (Defence industry holding company), and the Tawazun Council for Defence Enablement (Defence economy committee), joined the event and discussed potential defence and security technology cooperation.
In culture and soft power cooperation, CJ highlighted the global reach of K-Content, noting that the first KCON in the Middle East was held in Abu Dhabi in 2016. The company outlined the company’s phased expansion strategy for cooperating with the UAE in content, K-Food, and beauty product distribution fields. Reflecting the growing demand for K-Food, Samyang Foods introduced plans for developing localized products, expanding experience-based content, and establishing a halal-certified supply chain. Top food product and distribution corporations, including Lulu Group, the top distributor across the UAE and the GCC1), as well as Sarya Holdings, a domestic F&B distributor in the UAE, attended the event and discussed potential cooperation in K-Food and consumer goods.
1) GCC: The Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf is an institution for political, economic, and military cooperation composed of 6 Arab states in the Middle East—Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain, and Oman.
※ [Attachment] Event Overview: Korea–UAE Business Roundtable