South Korea President Lee Jae-myung Meets Khaldoon Al Mubarak on September 18 at Blue House, Discussing UAE-Korea Cooperation and Thanking UAE for Prioritizing Crude Oil Supply

South Korea President Lee Jae-myung met with Khaldoon Khalifa Al Mubarak, chairman of the Executive Affairs Authority of Abu Dhabi, at Cheong Wa Dae in Seoul on September 18 to review bilateral cooperation that has been actively underway since Lee's state visit to the UAE in November 2025, according to multiple South Korean outlets. Lee thanked the UAE for prioritizing crude oil supplies to South Korea despite difficult conditions caused by instability in the Middle East and noted growing cooperation in defense, artificial intelligence, nuclear energy, and culture, according to presidential spokesperson Kang Yu-jung. Chairman Khaldoon conveyed UAE President Mohamed bin Zayed's regards to Lee and said the UAE people consider South Korea a brother nation that has helped their country in times of need. The two countries' cooperative relations have expanded beyond energy and infrastructure to include diverse and future-oriented sectors such as investment, space, health, and education, he said. Lee recalled that Seoul and Abu Dhabi agreed during his November state visit to begin a partnership for the next 100 years. Khaldoon oversees bilateral cooperation on the UAE side as the key figure in charge of ties with South Korea.