S. Korea, UAE agree to boost ties in new sectors, supply chains

SEOUL, June 8 (Yonhap) -- The top industry officials of South Korea and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) agreed Wednesday to expand bilateral cooperation in advanced industry, energy fields and supply chains, Seoul's industry ministry said. During a meeting in Seoul, Industry Minister Lee Chang-yang and his UAE counterpart, Sultan bin Ahmed al-Jaber, agreed to work more closely in bio, the transition to digital, e-learning and other emerging sectors on the back of their successful projects, such as the construction of the Barakah nuclear power plant, according to the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy. For the goal, the two sides will launch seven subcommittees -- on smart manufacturing, robots, small satellites, drones, bio, digital, and e-learning -- as were agreed on in March last year, according to the ministry. They also agreed to hold an inaugural minister-level "strategic meeting" on the industry technology cooperation later this year, it added. The ministers also agreed to accelerate their cooperation on hydrogen and renewable energy fields to ensure stable energy supply chains down the road. Lee asked for the Middle Eastern nation's support for the supply of oil and gas amid the recent high global energy prices, according to the ministry. The UAE is South Korea's fifth-largest crude oil supplier, accounting for 7.9 percent of the country's total imports, and the fourth-biggest supplier of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), taking up 0.9 percent, government data showed. South Korea depends mostly on imports for its energy needs. graceoh@yna.co.kr (END)