Acting President and Prime Minister Hwang Kyo-ahn held a meeting with Adel Fakeih, Saudi Arabia’s minister of economy and planning, at the Government Complex Seoul on March 7 to talk about economic cooperation between the two countries.

During the meeting, Hwang asked Saudi Arabia to "cooperate on the smooth development of economic cooperation on new business areas, such as nuclear energy, national defense and health care, as well as on continuing projects regarding container terminals, railways, and city construction and urban development.”

Minister Fakeih said that Saudi Arabia will “take care of everything, so that the joint projects between our two countries can be successfully carried forward."

Hwang said that he really thought well of “Vision 2030,” Saudi Arabia’s long-term plan for economic reform and to boost growth in economic sectors other than the oil industry, and he requested active collaboration between the two nations on the plan.

“Specific details on the cooperation regarding the plan, such as establishing investment funds, are being actualized,” said Minister Fakeih. He also said that Korea is a "core partner of ‘Vision 2030.’”

Additionally, Hwang acknowledged Saudi Arabia’s support for Seoul against North Korean hostilities, saying, “Saudi Arabia, as the chair of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), has led the member countries to condemn the nuclear tests in North Korea.”

Minister Fakeih said, “Saudi Arabia is well aware of the Korean government’s stance against the North” and asserted his country’s continual support for the South’s policy.

By Kim Young Shin
Korea.net Staff Writer
Photo: Prime Minister’s Office
ysk1111@korea.kr