South Korean Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha held talks with a top United Arab Emirates (UAE) official on Tuesday and discussed the planned visit of Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi Mohammed bin Zayed Al-Nahyan next week, Seoul's foreign ministry said.

During the talks with Khaldoon Al Mubarak, chairman of the Executive Affairs Authority of Abu Dhabi, in Seoul, Kang welcomed the crown prince's upcoming visit and expressed hope for the expansion of cooperation between the two countries.

The de facto leader of the UAE will arrive here next Tuesday on a two-day official visit. South Korean President Moon Jae-in is set to hold a bilateral summit with the crown prince on Wednesday.

Kang expressed hope for the expansion of the two countries' cooperation to new industrial sectors in line with the fourth industrial revolution, the ministry said.

Al Mubarak extended gratitude for South Korea's preparations for the crown prince's visit, according to the ministry.

Earlier in the day, the UAE official also had a lunch meeting with Im Jong-seok, a former chief of staff to Moon who now serves as his special advisor for the UAE.

The two countries upgraded their ties to a special strategic partnership when Moon visited the Middle Eastern country in March 2018.

The UAE is the only Middle Eastern country and one of only three in the world to have established such a relationship with South Korea, according to the presidential office Cheong Wa Dae. (Yonhap)