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New discussions between the UAE and South Korea underscore their deep strategic cooperation in space in what has become an enduring collaboration between the two emerging spacepowers.
The UAE Space Agency, led by Dr. Eng. Mohammed Nasser Al Ahbabi, Director-General, welcomed Mi-Ock Mun, Advisor to the President for Science and Technology from the Office of the President of the Republic of South Korea, in Abu Dhabi last week. According to a press release, the leaders and their delegations discussed further space cooperation opportunities between the two parties.
Discussion topics included opportunities for enhancing cooperation in the space sector, particularly in terms of knowledge and expertise exchange, as well as developing joint space projects through mutual partnerships in space science and technology fields.
Cooperation in space between South Korea and the UAE dates back to 2006, when a group of Emirati youth visited South Korea for the opportunity to work together building satellites. The two countries have already partnered on developing DubaiSat-1 and DubaiSat-2, and two members of the South Korean delegation currently serve on the UAE Space Agency advisory committee. In 2017, the UAE Space Agency signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with South Korea’s Ministry of Science, ICT, and Future Planning, which further enhanced cooperation and knowledge exchange between the UAE and South Korea in the space exploration sector, satellite remote sensing, and navigation, as well as relevant rules and regulations fo the space domain.
“South Korea and the UAE have had a steady relationship for many years, with the space sector in particular,” said Dr. Al Ahbabi. “Our nation’s commitment lies in developing strong relations to mutually launch new projects through the exchange of knowledge and expertise in global space science.”
“South Korea has commendable capacities in technology and advanced sciences,” he added. “These capacities have helped national space projects and benefited Emirati engineers to a great extent.”
