ABU DHABI ― President Park Geun-hye on Friday met two units of South Korean soldiers deployed to the United Arab Emirates and those who are on an antipiracy mission as part of her nine-day trip to the region.
The president visited the 4,500-ton destroyer Dae Jo Young that sailed into Zayed Port and praised soldiers for their services and commitment to the nation. The destroyer was carrying soldiers from the Akh unit tasked with training the Gulf state’s Special Forces and the Cheonghae Unit deployed to join an international antipiracy campaign in the Gulf of Aden off the Somali Coast.
Park is the first commander-in-chief to visit a destroyer on an overseas mission, her spokesman Min Kyung-wook said. She was visiting the vessel to meet both units at the same time, he added.
President Park Geun-hye hugs a Korean soldier of the Cheonghae Unit aboard the destroyer Dae Jo Young anchored at Zayed Port in Abu Dhabi on Friday. (Yonhap)
“Every one of you is the military diplomat representing the Republic of Korea and your operation here makes the people proud,” the president said during a talk with soldiers.
“So I wish for you to make the utmost effort to complete the mission by having greater responsibility and pride,” she said.
The South Korean unit Akh, meaning brother in Arabic, has been based in the eastern region of Al Ain in the UAE since 2011. The soldiers were deployed after a South Korean consortium won a $20 billion deal in 2009 to build nuclear reactors in the oil-rich country.
The unit is in charge of special operations, antiterrorism missions and staging joint drills. It is also tasked to protect South Korean residents in the state during emergencies.
The Cheonghae Unit, consisting of a 4,500-ton destroyer, a helicopter and three high-speed boats, has also escorted hundreds of vessels passing through the waters off Somalia and assisted in their safe navigation.
Before leaving Abu Dhabi, Park also met Korean residents as well as a group of doctors and nurses dispatched to treat patients in the wealthy Gulf state.
Since 2011, South Korean hospitals started operations in UAE amid growing interests in Korea’s advanced medical technology and services. Currently, about 200 medical staff are working in four institutions including Seoul National University Hospital and St. Mary’s Hospital.
Later in the afternoon, Park left for Qatar, the final leg of her four-nation trip to the Middle East.
Park plans to meet Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al Thani on Sunday in return for the Qatari leader’s visit to South Korea in November. Her visit is expected to secure more business opportunities for Korean firms in Qatar, the host of the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
By Cho Chung-un, Korea Herald correspondent
(christory@heraldcorp.com)
